The Experiment
by darkling59
Summary: AU In an attempt to create the perfect bio weapon, scientists twisted the DNA of one young human. The resulting creature, deemed untrainable and vicious, is set to be killed. However, nobody ever considered how HE would feel about it.
1. Who and What

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way shape or form own any of the characters or anything having to do with Gundam Seed. (yah, like you didn't already know that...)

**Summary**:

_Sci-fi AU. A creature is created in the distant future to be used as a biological weapon. Unfortunately, the beast itself is termed vicious and unintelligent as a result of all the conflicting animal and youkai DNA within its blood. It is set to be euthanized; but shortly before it can be the transport ship is destroyed and it is released into the civilian world._

ALSO, this is an AU. There are youkai (demons) as well as humans, and hybrids (welll….there's one hybrid) Let me know if you guys want a background chapter to tell you what this universe is like. It has no gundams and many other different things in this universe.

And, yes, I know I should be working on 'Nicol's New Fate', this was just in the back of my notebook and I hate the urge to put it up.

Hope you all like it!

Hmmmm…

OH, YEAH.

I WON'T finish this unless you guys review!

**_Five_** reviews and I'll think of finishing, **_seven_** and I will defiantly continue.

SO, if you like it... REVIEW!

thanx you.

* * *

Experiment 

Chapter 1: Who and What

"Grrr…." Kira snarled and leapt forward; sinewy, clawed paw morphing into a just as sharply clawed hand as it shot out of the small prison to attack his tormentor. The man just smirked and pulled back slightly, looking down at the hanyou caged in front on him. He found it amusing to watch the lithe young teen glare up at him with frosty violet eyes from behind his unruly brown bangs. Almost as amusing as watching his futile attacks on the thick bars containing him.

"Remarkable outcome, Dr. Hibiki." The man said, turning to his companion, "pity the territorial and racial tendencies of the animal and youkai DNA used canceled out its intelligence."

"Indeed, Commander La Creuset. But the youkai DNA was required for the shape shifting abilities and the animal DNA was used to provide forms for it to shift into. We have yet to determine which strand dictates intelligence, so we were forced to make it as it is."

Another thundering snarl ripped through the still air, interrupting the conversation as the object of their scrutiny made itself known.

Creuset frowned slightly. "Does it have to be so violent? Even _animals _can be trained. We want an obedient and servile weapon, not an insane out of control monster."

"Yes, sir." Hibiki replied, fidgeting slightly. "Like I said before, its human DNA was neutralized. It has no concept of words, language, or obedience. The only command it follows is that of the bloodlust it got from its youkai heritage."

"Pity." Creuset watched the creature through the bars of the cage. It would have looked like a normal human teenager, if not for the inch long claws and animal ears (at the moment, they were those of a cat but they changed depending on his mood). And, of course, its tendency to attack anything that came near it. "Well, at least it has been a useful experiment. Do you have any more need for it, Doctor?"

Startled, Hibiki looked up. "Yes, sir. As you well know, its DNA is very valuable and singular. It was a one in ten million chance of finding a human baby with the right type of blood to be able to handle the combining . We were remarkably lucky. If you want any more of these creatures made, you must allow me to ship the creature to Earth to finish the process."

"I see, and once you are finished, you will no longer have need of it?"

"No sir."

"Good. I will have a shuttle prepped for your departure in two days. Contact me once the process is complete and I will have It disposed of."

"But sir! Two days is awful short notice! And it would be to our advantage to keep the creature around, as a spec-"

"DOCTOR." Creuset did not turn, but his tone clearly made his point. "You have your orders."

Defeated, Hibiki sighed. "Yes sir."

* * *

Kira didn't like this, didn't like it at all. He was used to the stares, the tranquilizers, the constant testing; but this pale man was very strange and made him uncomfortable. Long blond hair hung in wavy tresses around the sides of his face, outlining his strange white mask and matching his gold and blue officer's uniform. Every aspect of him seemed bleached, paler and crueler then it would have on any other person. Maybe it was the mask that made Kira uncomfortable; with it, the man seemed emotionless. Or it could have been his height; he was a good six feet tall whereas the hanyou was only about 5'8 when standing to his full human height. 

Also, the man….whose name seemed to be 'Sir'…..wasn't scared of him at all! When Kira's claws had been four inches from his face, the guy had kept his cool and even had to audacity to smirk! Not to mention the fact that he seemed to enjoy the lighting rod overly much.

(Kira's 'lightning rod' is a stun stick, a metal staff with a rubber handle that conducts and shoots electricity at the holder's will. The doctors would often use them to control him as the 'specimen')

The masked freak had been standing there poking him for a half hour! It was almost like he was _trying_ to drive Kira into a blood rage! Luckily, Hibike had appeared a few minutes ago and distracted the guy.

Listening to their conversation had been very interesting … and amusing. He had barely been able to stifle his laughter as they discussed his lack of intelligence (his snarling and growling covered it up).They still hadn't realized his viciousness was only an act and that he could indeed understand their entire conversation.

**"Good I will have a shuttle prepped for your departure in two days. Contact me once the process is complete and I will have It disposed of."**

The second half of their chat struck him with horror, rendering him frozen with shock in his current position; neko ears laid back, claws unsheathed, with eyes glaring glassily at the men from an attack position on all fours in the middle of his enclosure.

_Disposed of? They're gonna kill me!_

So wrapped up in his own thoughts was he that he didn't even acknowledge it when the men left. Nor did he acknowledge, or even notice, the odd look directed at him by 'Sir'. (Given because he was still threatening to attack the spot the two had been in a few minutes ago).

It was over an hour later that he snapped back to reality, dropping into a more comfortable position on his hands and knees in favor of his threatening half crouch. He had been thinking for along time and still could not find a way to escape. A low, sad sigh escaped the young creature as he transformed into a fox and curled up on the small blanket in the corner.

At least he had two more days to think of a way to save himself. Right?

* * *

TBC? 

Sorry for the short chapter, it was supposed to have more to it, but this seemed to fit by itself.

Also, does anyone know if Hibiki is spelled right?

* * *

Review! 


	2. Crash

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way shape or form own any of the characters or anything having to do with Gundam Seed.

**Summary**:

_Sci-fi AU. A creature is created in the distant future to be used to enhance the human race. Unfortunately, the beast itself is termed vicious and unintelligent as a result of all the conflicting animal DNA within its blood. It is set to be euthanized, but shortly before, the transport ship is destroyed and it is released into the civilian world._

ALSO, this is an AU. There are youkai (demons) as well as humans, and hybrids (welll….there's one hybrid) Let me know if you guys want a background chapter to tell you what this universe is like.

Mrgh. I don't think this is working well. I only got two reviews for the last chapter of the story. So, since this is the final bit that I have pre-written, I won't continue after this unless I get better results. In fact, I might take it off ffnet.

It just felt kinda weird to have this sitting in the back of my notebook and doing nothing with it.

Sorry.

* * *

Experiment 

Chapter 2: Crash

Two days later, Kira once again found himself glaring and snarling at the pale blonde man. This time thought, the captain just stood there, watching him, until Hibiki showed up at which point he turned around and ignored him, eliciting a snarl from Kira as he smashed into the bars in an attempt to get at his new found enemy. Unfortunately, the steel bars and plastic reinforcements held him back.

"Are all of these restraints truly necessary, Doctor?" Creuset had been sizing up the creature's cage for quite a while and couldn't see the point of some of the more…'elaborate'…fixtures.

"Afraid so, sir. In bouts of extreme anger, the specimen has bent the restraints of his current cage but it was all we could find that would hold him. The 3-inch diameter steel bars and reinforcing metal and plastic alloys in the construction, as well as the 5-inch thick solid steel walls, floor, and ceiling are necessary to keep it confined. The sliding mechanism that opens the door makes hinges unneeded and, in doing so, eliminates the weakest point of the door."

Both men ignored the creature growling quietly at them as the doctor gestured at the various parts of the cage.

"There are no mechanical or electrical features for the reason of eliminating all possible problems. The creature can't hurt itself or escape using them. Its light comes from out here. The fixtures inside are all needed, as well; the food and water dishes for obvious reasons, the blanket for it to sleep on, and the jets in the walls for stun gas.

"Stun gas?" the commander raised an eyebrow in amusement at what seemed to be major overkill. "So you just stun it to get it out?"

"That's right. It's unconscious quite a lot. In fact, the only times it IS awake are when it's in there, in the exercise arena, or when specific procedures require it to be awake. And then it is kept too doped to resist."

"Wouldn't a control collar be easier? Just a zap and it's out?"

"Well," the Doctor coughed nervously, "we tried that. All the collars were destroyed within five minutes after it woke up, no matter what the electrical charge. The stun sticks can only keep it subdued for a few seconds, and they are our primary source of control."

"Aside from the sleeping gas."

"Right."

"Such a pity." La Creuset looked back at the now silently glaring creation. "It's strong enough to have made quite a weapon."

"um. Yes. Sir?"

"What?"

"You said I'd be leaving for Earth today?"

Neither of them noticed the sudden interested twitch of Kira's ears. This was what he had been waiting for.

"That's right. It's ready now. After you and the creature have been moved on board, you should be ready to leave."

Again, they didn't see Kira as a shocked look of horror passed over his face. _That fast?_

"And the enclosure?"

"As per your specs, it is exactly the same as this. Even the dimensions are the same; 6 feet (2 yards) tall, wide, and long."

"Good."

"Are you ready to go?"

"Yessir."

"Prepare the creature and I will have one of my subordinates show you on board."

"Yes sir."

Kira's eyes shot wide in horror. Too fast! This was happening much too fast! Hissing in alarm, he watched helplessly as gas leaked into the room through the jets. It was a familiar sensation, but with a new and dismal looking future behind it.

Kira waited and watched, agonizing, as the gas enveloped him, then sank to the floor as it took affect.

His thoughts grew fuzzy and unclear as his senses slowly bled away into the black fog of unconsciousness.

* * *

The next time Kira woke up, it was to an odd rumbling vibration in his feet. Annoyed, he pulled himself backwards, curling in a ball in lynx form (he found feline and canine forms the most comfortable to sleep in), before remembering what had happened. His eyes snapped open and he lunged to his feet, hissing and snarling in panic, only to be sent flying painfully into the side of his cage. 

Groaning, he rolled back onto his paws with a silent debate raging in his head; (1) go with logic and calm down, hanging on and doing nothing else; or (2) go with instinct and panic. Logic won out by default when another sudden lurch shook him from his musings and forced him to scrabble at the floor to maintain his balance and steady himself. Unfortunately, the pitching and rolling, of what he had now decided was a ship, was tossing the cage all over the place. Kira's claws might have been long, but they weren't enough to hold him down against the bucking of the cargo hold. He was shaken free and slammed into the wall headfirst.

"WARNING!WARNING! ATMOSPHERE ENTERED AT AN ACCELERATED RATE. UNCONTROLLED ENTRY VECTOR! WARNING! WARNING! WARN-"

Kira registered the words fuzzily as he recovered. They distracted him from trying to hold on.

_Ships aren't supposed to buck so much…_

A sharp pain was all the warning he got as he was once again slammed down and became lost to the world.

* * *

"WARNING! WARNING!" 

Dr. Hibiki raced through the ship; he had to get to his specimen. He had to!

"Come on Doctor, Let's go."

"No! No! My experiment-!"

The burly crewman paid no attention to the feeble pleas, pushing the older man unceremoniously towards an open escape pod.

"Sorry Doc, you'll hafta start the experiment over again. One of the ship's main steering engines blew out so we have no way to control the entry. The ship's gonna crash."

"But-!"

"Which is more important; your experiment or your life?"

At that, Hibiki gave in. With a last defeated glance behind him down the halls of the doomed ship, he allowed himself to be pulled into a lifeboat and strapped down.

Less then 5 minutes later, an explosion seemed to rock the very atmosphere. The man could only watch as the dying ship plunged into the atmosphere on its way to a fiery grave, taking his life's work with it.

* * *

NEWS REPORT 

Cosmic year 2311

It has been brought to the attention of the North American government that a transport ship bound for Earth from the ZAFT space station lost control of one of its engines yesterday and flew out of control. Luckily there were no human casualties and the craft landed in the secluded forests above the Great Lakes (Canada/Michigan forested area). No property damage has been reported and the remains of the ship have not been found. It is asked that anyone who finds any sign of the craft or its cargo contact the below number immediately.

DO NOT APPROACH IT.

Repeat: DO NOT APPROACH IT.

It has been disclosed that the cargo, although classified, is extremely dangerous when in contact with humans.

Please contact: 15436-0976-042

Thank you

Also; there is a 30,000 dollar reward for anyone with news of the whereabouts of the craft or its cargo.

END News Report

* * *

> 

>

>

>

>Should I be so cruel?

>

>

>

>

> Nah, but only a hint.

>

>

* * *

_Pain_

_So much pain._

Several hours after the crash, blurry violet eyes opened, gazing for the first time upon the blue sky.

He was barely alive. But he was free.

* * *

TBC?

* * *

Sorry for the short chapter, it's a continuation of the last chapter; not truly meant to stand on its own. 

Not to mention I did it awhile ago. If I continue the story, I might get around to redoing it.

Review!

* * *

**Shadow Fox777**: Sorry, I don't know. It depends on if I get better results from this chapter. "sniff" I only got two… 

**climax**: I'm glad you like it. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten enough reviews. If this chapter has better results, then I MIGHT continue. But review results have been terrible so far.

* * *


	3. Results

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way shape or form own any of the characters or anything having to do with Gundam Seed.

ALSO, this is an AU. There are youkai (demons) as well as humans, and hybrids (welll….there's one hybrid). Let me know if you guys want a background chapter to tell you what this universe is like.

Ya know what's funny? Last chapter I was seriously considering taking this off ffnet because I got so few reviews. Now I have over 20. O.O

So apparently I'm continuing. However, this story is second to last on the totem pole of importance, so don't expect it to update really often.

This chapter is very short and a little bit bloody.

Sorry, but it was needed

Thanx to everyone who reviewed, answers are below.

* * *

Experiment 

Last time:

_Pain_

_So much pain._

_Several hours after the crash, blurry violet eyes opened, gazing for the first time upon the grass he was laying near._

_He was barely alive. But he was free._

Chapter 3: Results

-------------------------

_Owww…torture… pain. What happened? _Without moving, the young hybrid assessed his surroundings. Well, as much as he could with a groggy mind and blurry, swimming eyes. _Dark…so dark…green? What's…green?_

It took all of five seconds for the agony to overwhelm his senses and force Kira into oblivion once again.

He didn't even have time to notice the grass…

Or the cloying scent of flammable oil as it seeped towards the still burning wreckage, accompanied by the howls of an approaching youkai wolf pack in the distance.

* * *

"Athrun, look!" 

"In a minute, Lacus, I'm busy."

"No, LOOK!"

The urgency and wonder in Lacus' voice brought an inquisitive emerald blink from her boyfriend as he stepped behind her and wrapped a strong arm around her slim waist.

"Alright, I'm here, what's wrong?"

"Look!" her breathy, horrified whisper pointed out what Athrun had already noticed. His arm locked tighter then intended as his gaze grew to match Lacus' own in open-mouthed wonder and horror. There was…something…falling from the sky! Something big, burning, moving **fast**, and headed straight for them! _Well, maybe not straight at us. _Athrun amended, scrutinizing nervously, _but it won't miss by more then a few miles. What is it?_

"What is it?"

"It looks like a ship!" Lacus pulled Athrun away from the window to gaze up at him in concern. "Oh Athrun, do you think everyone got off? We have to go see if there are any survivors!"

"WHAT?" Mortified, Athrun jerked his head around away from the aperture. "Are you insane?" We can't do that! Wrecks are very dangerous. Not to mention we don't know where it landed" _Well, not exactly anyways,_ "or what it was doing over the trees! There weren't any flights scheduled this close, I checked when we came out here! Hell, if there had been, we wouldn't have driven! As far as we know, that ship could be riddled with pirates or smugglers!"

"Oh, Athrun." Her worried voice still managed to sound amused. "There haven't been pirates or smugglers for years! And even if somehow they are pirates, they might still need medical attention!"

"You would help someone willing to kill you?"

"Of course! Plus, they wouldn't kill me, or you! Most people like that are just misunderstood. I'm confident I could convince them to give up their lifestyle and realize their true worth."

He let go of her with a groan, turning around. He didn't agree with her, but she had the sneaky ability to always turn her reality into actual reality.

"But…But…! We…uh…like I said, don't even know where it landed!"

Sensing success, Lacus pushed even harder. "We can follow the smoke! See, right there!" her slender finger gestured for a moment at several thin plumes of sooty black smoke trailing from the trees where the ship must have touched down. "And you can't tell me you're busy, we came out here to be alone for Christmas break and to escape from classes so we have all the time in the world to go help those poor people!"

"No! Did you hear the explosion as it touched down?" _Time for a different tactic._

"…No…"

"Exactly! Lacus, listen to me, this is important. If that ship didn't explode upon impact, it means the fuel didn't light…yet. It's only a matter of time before any one of the flammable liquids from the engines and burners meets the sparks from severed wires and the whole ship, as well as the surrounding forest, blows. We should find a ranger and report it."

"Athrun, how can you say that? If there are survivors, they might be injured or trapped, unable to move! If the ship is going to blow up, we must get there first to save them!"

"But…"

"Please, Athrun?" _Oh, Gods no, not the Look. _She was gazing up at him beseechingly, tears shining from her eyes and trust practically radiating from her delicate features. He could never say no to her like this.

"Well…" Athrun glared moodily at the smoke. _Dammit, this was supposed to be a romantic vacation!_ Unfortunately, Lacus had a point. He would never be able to live with himself if he disregarded the possible plight of any survivors.

"PLEASE Athrun!"

"…Fine. But we only approach if the ship is semi-safe and we return by nightfall, before most of the dangerous youkai come out."

"Oh thank you!" she threw her arms around him and pecked his cheek in elation, then ran off to collect medical supplies. Athrun turned back to the window, scowling.

"Dammit."

* * *

Something…cold…and…sticky? 

_What? This isn't… my cage isn't…_

Slowly, Kira opened his eyes, wincing when doing so irritated a long gash stretching over one eyelid. How the hell had he managed not to lose the eye?

This time, lucidity came quickly as the hanyou checked his surroundings. Bloodstained bars underneath and thick metal overhead and all around, like a box; the cage must have tipped over so that the front was now underneath him. But there was something wrong, parts of the cage seemed bent in, as though dented from the outside.

_Wait… There's something…wet and picky sticking through the bars. It's…red? No, green but stained red with blood. My blood? _His brow furrowed in confusion.

_I…what happened? I woke up on the ship, got tossed around, loud noises were blaring, something hit me in the head, and…then I fell into unconsciousness. So… aw crap, I still don't understand. Where's the Doctor? Why is my cage upside down? Why is it mutilated? Normally, they're all very careful to keep me from escaping. Sedation, electric shocks, ridiculously strong restraints…But now…_a faint, fanged smile appeared on a face untrained for human emotion. _I would have no problem escaping. Is this my chance? To escape the fate they spelled out for me? I doubt they'd leave me alone, but I can't see, hear, or smell anyone. This could always be a training exercise, I suppose, but it sure doesn't seem like it. Well, might as well give it a try._

With a fatalistic, but still hopeful, sigh, he moved for the first time since waking up. After the first twitch, it was obvious he had missed something critical in his in initial evaluation. Well, many things.

Injuries covered almost every square inch of his body. Cuts, scratches, bruises … even his ears were notched. Not to mention his claws were broken and even slight movement caused bones to slide and grind together in ways they were never meant to move.

A pained whimper caught in his throat as the brunette returned to his original position. Maybe escaping would be more work then he'd thought.

_Owowowowowowowow…how did all **this** happen? _He had felt pain before, often actually, but never so unpredictably. It was always controlled pain, hated but expected. This was not controlled in the least. There was no scientist with a scalpel cutting him cleanly on the arms or legs to see how fast he'd heal. And….Oh no… Nononono..._ I'm…in human form? Wasn't I something else before? Oh, not good, not good at all. _He began to tremble and twitch with panic. _Even my ears are human! How is that even possible? I'm always different; this hasn't been my natural form for years! What if I'm too badly injured to transform? My human form isn't strong enough to move so much weight like this. What if I can't get out? What if I bleed to death trapped here? What if…_

_"_-WHAM!-"

"GRAAAAGH!" a howl of agony sprung from Kira's throat as something slammed into the outside of his cage, tossing it several feet end over end and causing him to tumble along with it, adding to the host of bruises and cuts already adorning his pale skin.

_The HELL?_ The cage landed bars up, giving Kira an all too good view of his current location. Strange scents flowed through his super-sensitive nose, making him dizzy and disoriented. No laboratory was like this. Blue stretched over head, marred on high by white fluffy condensation, by black plumes from somewhere nearby, and framed by green….foliage? Trees? Was he on EARTH?

_Wait…how would I know if there are trees on Earth? I've never been there, right? What…where….WHY AM I SO FRIGGIN CONFUSED ALL THE TIME?_ He could feel the confusion, like a block in his mind, changing his temperament and transforming him back into what he had been before Hibiki had started controlling his life. But…that fragile person had died a long time ago and the youkai blood was much stronger. This was its element and Kira began to feel both empowered and weak at the same time, an effect of contradicting DNA. Confusion was a mild way to put the experience.

A low snarl pulled him back to the more immediate issue, drawing his attention away from pain and confusion. He forced himself up, turning around stiffly despite his injuries to face the source. Blood dripped from countless wounds as he slowly appraised his opponent. _Check that, _he dismally noted _opponents._

A wolf pack was rooting through a smoking wreckage…the ship?... their alpha towering over Kira. It was glaring at the one who had dared to invade its territory. Kira's eyes narrowed, instinct and programmed aggression taking over as the beast above crouched to spring.

* * *

"Faster Athrun!" 

"Lacus, be careful! Those rocks are treacherous!"

The midnight haired young man watched his girlfriend with vaguely worried resignation. No matter what he said, she would find a way to get to the wreckage, but could at least try to keep her safe.

"Athrun, hurry!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

With a long suffering sigh and a suspicious glare at the hazy plumes drawing steadily closer, the hike continued.

* * *

_Four full grown male wolves, a pack. Wait, no, the leader is much too big for that. A youkai wolf pack: two betas (a male and female), one omega, and the alpha... The only one that will fight me directly is the alpha, but the others might help if the situation swings in his favor. My opponent is big, even for a youkai. Dark brown in color, five feet tall at the shoulder, compact as a pit bull. It must weigh at least 300 lbs. Claws and teeth are proportionally bigger along with the body. As a youkai, it is stronger, faster, and more intelligent then a normal wolf and is in the prime of life while I am badly injured. Luckily, it does not have any of the markings that appear when an animal form youkai awakens a hidden ability, so I don't need to worry about shape-shifting or invisibility. I have the single mark, shape-shifting, on the back of my neck but I feel too injured to do anything._ ( A/N 1) 

_It's remarkably strong and I'm injured. If I don't finish the fight in the first minute or two, I won't survive._

With a near roar, the youkai lunged down into the bent and twisted enclosure, grabbing Kira by the arm and leaping back out, disregarding the boy's cry of pain as bones crunched and snapped within the powerful jaws. He would KILL the intruder **painfully.**

_No, no, owowowowowowow…I can't let this happen…pain… _Kira was lax outwardly, but fighting inwardly, trying to make sense of his conflicting feelings as the monster dragged him away._ Fight...now… nooaaRRRRRR**GHRRRRR**…_

_"_GRRRRRRRRR…"

A low snarl startled the creature into looking back, just in time for powerful jaws to close around the alpha's stout neck.

He died without even seeing what killed him.

When the rest of the pack came looking for their leader, all they found was a cooling corpse laid out next to a spitting, snarling, gravely wounded cougar youkai that smelled like blood.

Kira could once again control the change.

* * *

"Lacus!" 

"Come on, Athrun! I thing I see the ship! And there's something moving!"

"Be careful!"

Four pairs of hostile ears and eyes swiveled towards the approaching voices.

* * *

TBC? 

REVIEW!

* * *

(A/N 1) Youkai in this story are basically just a stronger, vicious strain of animals; they look for the most part like their animal coefficient but for the fact that they are stronger, faster, smarter, and MUCH more mean and aggressive. Size isn't really an issue, but they sometimes are much bigger then normal animals. They love causing pain and killing (a trait that Kira, thankfully, didn't inherit). Also, they often have hidden talents encoded in their DNA such as invisibility, shape shifting, and levitating that awaken for whatever reason (the trigger isn't known) and leave a mark on some part of the body, the place varies per each youkai. The hidden talents are what the scientists tried to program into Kira but the only one they have managed to awaken is shape-shifting. I'll try to incorporate this information into a later chapter. 

Also, alpha, beta, and omega are names for different ranks in a wolf pack. The alpha's the leader, the betas are usually mates and second in command, and the omega is last on the totem pole, the outcast.

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Yet another short chapter.

-sigh- It makes me feel depressed….

So, now we stray from the beaten path. After this scene, the story is gonna take a 180 angle and move differently from what I had planned. The other story was, to me, plotful but not very interesting (because I wasn't planning on finishing it). The new plot should be more action packed, longer, and with quite a bit of intrigue if not as singly oriented towards one goal. Also, I never before thought so far into the youkai issue; it was just a reason for Kira to be a shape-shifter. In the revised story it might be a little more integral, though.

SO...yeah. Hope ya like. But I'm still depressed. Cuz this chapter was too short and it's 12:30 at night…I'm tired.

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**Artgirl150: **Heh, no, but I still think two was a little woeful. But now I have **2**2! XD Oddly, my entreaties seem to have worked. And I honestly have no idea why, they never seem to for any of my other fics. 

**Anime Fan from an Anime deprived town: **Not even close. I'm betting my 'demons' are much different and neither Lacus nor Athrun have any prior connection (that they know) towards demons. No demon exterminators exist in this story as of yet and I'm pretty sure it's gonna stay that way.

**Gundamfan10: **XD Thanks a lot! I think I might actually finish this, granted I'll use a different storyline but the reviews for this chapter were so abundant, I figured I should keep my word and continue when enough people want me to. Plus, I had a burst of inspiration during religion class today.

**Eliwood: **Yeah, I know, but reviews help me straighten my ideas (people tell me what they like and don't like and have no problem letting me know what I did wrong) and even for bad stories in such a popular category, two is pretty dismal. Normally I'm not so obsessed with reviews and since now there is a hit counter on ffnet, I'll probably gage reactions by that instead. Hope you keep reading.

**Kira'sGirl28: **Heh, at the moment, not even _I_ know what's going to happen to Kira. I'm glad you like it.

**PoisonousAkemi4869: **I got enough reviews :) In fact, I was amazed by the number of reviews I got. And even Kira doesn't really know if he can speak it, he's never tried in the laboratory and he doesn't remember when he was an infant and still human. (Was that a spoiler? I don't think so…I already said it, didn't I?)

**Iarly: **thanks. I use reviews for other things as well (not to mention they tell me which stories should take priority. Ex. Nicol's New Fate has 80 reviews so it's first) I'm glad you like it and now I do intend it finish it. The big question is 'when'.

**Lacus13: **Well, here's chapter three. Hope you liked it.

**Shadow Fox777: **Heh, nobody really knows at the moment. He's too confused and in shock right now, but he'll start making connections when Athrun and Lacus show up.

**Lacusclone14: **well, here's an update. :) hope you liked.

**SpiritsMelding: **Glad you like it.

**Clarissa: **Well, I'd really like to keep my ideas personal. If the story mirrors my own too much, it's plagiarism. The idea is also fairly original, so I'd kind of appreciate it if you didn't use it. If you show me the context and it's really different, then I'd say it's probably okay. If you still want to, you can email me at my listed address in my profile. I'm flattered that you like my story that much, though.

**Kira'sNewfoundAngel: **Thanx:)

**Demon of Gundams: **thank you. Hopefully it will be a good story, but now I'm straying from the path I'd already set so I'm not entirely sure what the plot will be. I'm glad you like it and hope you continue to follow.

**Warp Ligia Obscura: **Heh, 21 (now 22) is quite a lot….what do you mean by 'Zig'?

* * *


	4. Meeting

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way shape or form own any of the characters or anything having to do with Gundam Seed.

ALSO, this is an AU. There are youkai (demons) as well as humans, and hybrids (well….there's one hybrid). Let me know if you guys want a background chapter to tell you what this universe is like.

Well, responses are sure getting better.

This chapter's a little messed up and I'm pretty sure personalities are off, but they'll settle into their roles soon enough.

Also, be forewarned, I was in a bad mood when I began writing this so the first part is GORY.

Sorry, I didn't know how else I could communicate the gravity of the situation and get rid of the wolf pack in a single scene.

Hope you guys like it.

* * *

Oops. No wonder I didn't get any reviews. I forgot to put up the chapter. O.O lemme know if there are any errors in the chapter; I didn't have time Christmas Eve to proofread much. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

* * *

Experiment 

Last time:

_"Lacus!"_

_"Come on, Athrun! I thing I see the ship! And there's something moving!"_

_"Be careful!"_

_Four pairs of hostile ears and eyes swiveled towards the approaching voices._

_

* * *

_

Chapter 4: Meeting

-------------------------

_Voices...humans…uh-oh._

With a panicked, fearful glance Kira took in the rest of the alpha's pack investigating the corpse. He'd been wrong in guessing they would run instantly without a leader and there was no time to wait for them to if humans were coming. _Damn, I can't handle so much at once! Not like this! Are they with the doctor, coming to capture me? That must be it; no normal person would be out here in the wilderness. I can't let them catch me! I can't; no, I WON'T go back to living in a cage! _With a pained but urgent grunt, he shifted again, morphing from a cougar into the first bigger animal that came to mind. A grizzly bear.

"Lacus, slow down! We don't know what to expect!"

_Not much time. Only one thing for it_. Giant claws flexed as Kira surveyed the wolves sadly. He really didn't want to do this, but there was no other choice.

The pack turned at the change in breathing as Kira got bigger, still confused over what exactly had happened.

With a thunderous roar, the bear hanyou was among them.

* * *

Both humans skidded to a halt as an animalistic howl split the air, echoing through the trees and signifying the start of a cacophony of pained animal screeches and yelps. 

"A-Athrun, w-what's that?" such a curdling sound curbed even Lacus' enthusiasm.

"Sounds," Athrun we his lips nervously, "like fighting animals or youkai of some kind."

"B-but youkai don't come out until night."

"Nocturnal ones don't but diurnal-"

As quickly as it started, all sound ceased, leaving the dense forest eerily silent. Not even birds dared to sing, fearful of drawing the attention of whatever animal had screamed.

Many minutes later, the first insects began to chirp quietly, returning normalcy to the foliage.

"No, it was probably just some poor animals injured by the crash."

Athrun gaped at his girlfriend, stunned into disbelieving silence. _What?_

"It was most likely in pain. Maybe we'll be able to help it!"

"WHAT? Lacus, NO! We have no idea what-"

Too late.

She'd already set off, leaving Athrun to scramble up behind as she covered the last several yards to the still burning clearing.

"Don't-!"

Before he could reach her, she was back, pushing past to run back down the trail with her hands over her mouth.

"What's wrong? Oh…OH GOD."

Even a single eyeful of the clearing and ship seared an image into the young man's mind that would haunt his nightmares for years to come.

The wreckage was there, smoking and buried in churned up earth and over rooted trees, but that was not the most noticeable feature.

Everything was stained with blood.

The viscous crimson liquid dripped from twisted metal and splattered over the trees, intersperse with gore from at least three or four creatures. Whatever they had been, they were so torn up the species and even different body parts were indistinguishable...

Normally, the first question to come to mind would have been: 'what hind of hellish force could have done this? But the answer wasn't difficult to figure out. Standing in the center of the clearing beside the ship, so covered in blood its own blended in with that of its unfortunate victims, was a bear youkai, watching the new arrival with vicious intent.

With a snarl revealing red-stained teeth, it prepared to charge.

* * *

Wearily, Kira took in his handiwork. The wolves hadn't stood a change against a shifter bear, especially considering he had been on a fear induced adrenaline rush. Their endings might have been messy, but they'd been quick and fairly painless. 

Besides, now that foreign blood stained his fur, the new opponents would not be able to tell he was barely able to stand.

Well, opponent. The second had…run away?

_Wait, what? _Bemused, he took in the man standing before him (he was staring at what remained of the pack), looking for weaknesses or strengths to be exploited or avoided in the inevitable upcoming fight.

He allowed the other to finish his observation, then snarled, steadying himself on unstable legs.

_At least this won't be too hard; he still seems to be in shock. Why would Hibiki send someone so green?_

With a bellow of feigned rage, he began to advance at a lumbering run.

He'd tear the boy's throat out quickly, hopefully before his adrenaline rush completely died and unconsciousness again laid claim.

* * *

_Ohcrapohcrapohcrap…_

Unable to move, riveted by terror, Athrun watched the monster's approach.

_No! I'm too young to die! I need to move; I can't-!_

"Athrun, LOOK OUT!"

"Wha-?"

"Grrr…uh?" Apparently the attacker was also confused…too confused to notice where he was going. But he didn't slow down, oh no, if anything he went faster.

-WHAM!-

"GAH!"

Silence.

------------------------------------

"…oops."

_Oh no! Athrun! And that poor youkai! I didn't mean to make **that** happen!_

Upon seeing the crash site, which wouldn't have looked out of place in an R-rated horror move, Lacus had fled, nauseous, without the slightest idea about what happened. She hadn't even noticed the survivor.

"Athrun?"

"…Nnn…"

"Mr. Bear?"

"Wrrrnn…ugh."

When she'd returned to the clearing, she'd taken a more circuitous route, hoping to avoid most of the gore, and found the creature attacking Athrun. He'd been in too much shock to do anything but stare.

With her yell, Lacus had hoped to snap him back to reality, causing him to jump away and avoid injury.

Unfortunately, all she'd managed to do was distract both of them right before the strike so they'd would up colliding head on and collapsing in a rather ungainly heap.

"Owww…"

"Ugh…"

Which had rolled, with the bear's momentum, down a steep incline into a thorn bush. It had looked to be a painful fall.

"Lacus?"

"Oh! Athrun! I'm coming!" she clambered down the slope "Are you and Mr. Bear alright?"

"Mr…Bear?"

_Oh dear, he must have hit his head hard._

"Yes, the youkai that attacked you. Didn't he land near you?"

"I don't…GAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

"Athrun?"

No answer.

"Athrun!"

* * *

_I…am…covered…in BLOOD._

"Alright, calm. I am calm. I will remain calm. The blood is not mine, I do not hurt. It isn't Lacus', she's not here. Now…what happened?"

_No idea. The bear was attacking, Lacus yelled, and I rolled down a slope. I don't see any way that adds up to my current location sitting in a bush underneath a badly injured kid who is…unconscious and bleeding all over me._

"ATHRUN!"

"WHAT?"

"I was just wondering if you were okay…"

_Crap. _ Lacus could be very emotional when she wanted to.

"Sorry, I was just trying to figure out how this happened. I wasn't listening."

"That's alright. Are you and Mr. Bear alright?"

_Mr. Bear? That's right, I was being attacked; where's the bear?_

"Well, I'm fine but I don't know what happened to the youkai."

A low moan reminded him of his unconscious bush mate.

"Although I think I might have found a survivor of the crash. God only knows how he got on top of me."

"Goodness!"

Lacus peered into the large bush, finally having reached the foot of the hill after skirting the heaviest brush. Luckily, she wasn't a very squeamish person for the most part (that Hannibal (1) –esque crash site would've made anyone's stomach churn) so the bloody boy on top of her boyfriend didn't disturb her.

"Let's get you two out of there!"

With a strength belying her slight figure, the young woman forcefully yanked Athrun out of the bush, dragging him by the ankles as he clung to the survivor.

"Ow! For God's sake Lacus, be careful!"

"Sorry! There, you're out."

"Thanks." With a sheepish, grateful smile, Athrun shifted the other boy onto the ground, standing up to examine the youth as Lacus got to work checking his wounds.

There wasn't much distinguishable through the blood, he noticed unhappily. That amount staining his body meant serious, most likely fatal or crippling, wounds.

"Athrun."

"Mmm…"

"Look at this."

"What?" curiosity roused by her urgent tone, Athrun leaned over to look at the side of the boy's head, looking for…an ear? Wait…no; there was no ear. _Well, that's certainly odd._

"He…doesn't have an ear."

"That's not all. Look."

Lacus' hand moved up until she cupped a small lump of congealed dark hair, stained red with blood.

"What is it, skin?"

"You…could say that."

"Lacus, spit it out, you're the med. Major. What's wrong?"

"This has nothing to do with medicine. In fact, it might be more your field."

Her serious tone, usually so light and cheery, did more to scare Athrun then even the missing ear. "Then what?"

"Athrun," her worried, nervous eyes met his "this is an ear."

"…what?"

"It looks like a bear's ear."

"Let me see." Forgetting to be gentle, Athrun grabbed the small appendage, brushing and smearing obstacles away until he could see the fluffy rounded shell clearly. (2)

She was right; it was a bear's ear on a human's head.

"Athrun, I think we found Mr. Bear."

"That's imposs-"

A low growl cut them off.

As one, they looked down at the…creature?...stirring dangerously near by.

He was waking up.

* * *

"Run." 

"What? I thought you said it was impossible?"

Bleary violet eyes blinked, clearing in seconds.

"I'll worry about that later. For now, RUN!"

And the human were gone, running up the incline clumsily, Athrun especially intent on getting away.

Running was, unfortunately, the worst thing they could have done. As a predator, Kira's instincts compelled him to chase or hunt down anything resembling prey. And when Athrun and Lacus ran, they instantly lost their status as a threat and became possible food.

With a growl, Kira set off, limping slowly up the slope after the others.

The pain, though fading slightly, was causing problems.

_Why now? I'm free! But like this, there's no way I can survive. Hm. _Reaching the clearing, he glanced around, grimacing with distaste at the mess he'd left behind. _I destroyed that possible food source. I guess I could try the humans. I don't want to, that'd be too close to cannibalism, but…_

"Lacus, grab my hand!"

"I can't jump that high!"

A single ear twitched, bringing his head swiveling. Girl with pink hair wearing hiking clothes was standing next to a piece of the wreckage, attempting to climb but failing in part because of the panicked instructions from the male already standing above.

This would be too easy.

* * *

_She's not going to make it._

A calm finality settle din Athrun's thoughts. Lacus was not able to make the jump and the creature was quickly approaching, loping steadily, if with an obvious limp, towards Lacus.

"Lacus! Behind you!"

Time stood still.

"N-nice boy. Be good, Mr. Bear."

She was completely still, facing the creature as it sized her up. How had they ever mistaken it for a human?

Emerald eyes darted around, shifting over blood, gore, the wreck, trees, even grass looking for anything that could possibly be used to fight with.

But there was nothing.

_I can't leave her! I guess…damn; well, better me then her._

With a muttered prayer, Athrun jumped; landing **directly** on top of the injured hanyou.

"Athrun!"

He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the end.

But nothing happened.

"I…think it blacked out again."

And so it had. The creature was out like a light, no doubt thanks injuries aggravated by Athrun's suicidal leap.

"So…" the human boy looked at Lacus, then at his impromptu captive. "What do we do now?"

* * *

TBC? 

REVIEW!

* * *

(1) Hannibal Lector (sp?) from the movie 'Silence of the Lambs' and 'Hannibal'. I think he was also in red dragon or something. Anyways, he was a modern day cannibal, kidnapping people, especially women, to eat them. Actually, I don't think his kills were that gruesome (I probably should've used 'Saw' but, meh) but it was a horror movie so it fits. I've never really seen the movie, but I think the mention gets the idea across. 

(2) Bear ears look different depending on the species. As predators, the eyes are set forward and the ears on the sides, able to swivel, but to be more specific, a grizzly is a North American bear. They're brown, really big, with semi-large ears set fairly high on the head facing forward. Easy for Lacus and Athrun to find.

Anything I missed?

* * *

Well, I'm not allowed to respond to reviews inside the chapter anymore; ffnet outlawed it. However, there is a new PM/reply system I can use! Some of you probably got responses for last chapter. AND, for this chapter, everyone who reviews gets a free summary preview! 

But you hafta be signed in when you review, otherwise I can't get back to you.

Ciao!

* * *

Thanks for reviewing: 

**Ookami Fuu**

**R**

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**Artgirl150**

**ZGMF X-19A Infinite Justice  
**

**SpiritsMelding**

**Clarissa**

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**Tap-chan**

**Anime-rocks05**


	5. Journey Home

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way shape or form own any of the characters or anything having to do with Gundam Seed.

ALSO, this is an AU. There are youkai (demons) as well as humans, and hybrids (well….there's one hybrid). Let me know if you guys want a background chapter to tell you what this universe is like.

The characters are stills settling out of their OOCness but they should be done soon.

Hope you guys like it.

Happy New Year!

* * *

Experiment 

Last time:

_And so it had. The creature was out like a light, no doubt thanks injuries aggravated by Athrun's suicidal leap._

_"So…" the human boy looked at Lacus, then at his impromptu captive. "What do we do now?"_

Chapter 5: Journey Home

-------------------------

"Athrun, what are you doing? Get off him!"

"Lacus-"

"You could have hurt him even worse!"

"Lacus, he was trying to kill you!"

"We don't know that for sure! He was just looking at me when you jumped him; now, let me look at his injuries."

Athrun gave up. Lacus seemed determined to save the life of the strange creature and so long as it didn't kill either of them (hard to do while unconscious) and she didn't try to bring him; no, IT; home, he wouldn't object.

"Athrun, can you look for any other survivors?"

"Alright." With a last suspicious glance at Lacus' patient, he left to look over the wreck.

_As if I'll be able to find anything with all this blood all over the place. What if the creature killed the rest of the survivors? Maybe that's where this mess came from. Except…I don't see any leftover bodies and this craft was much too big to be manned by only the three or four people torn apart. But if that's the case, then what really happened? What was the ship carrying that it wasn't in official records? And…Huh, what's this?_

His eyes widened at the site that met his eyes. The ship so far had been stained with blood and gore only on the outside with no signs of struggle or death anywhere. It was as several people had just exploded in the center of the clearing. But this contraption was coated entirely. It was too banged up to really identify, but judging form the think metal and twisted, bent bars that might have once been a door (they were too mangled to keep any being in or out anymore), it was a cage. Probably for an extremely dangerous animal.

Possibly the one Lacus was playing doctor to at that very moment.

"Well, I think that's good enough. No survivors. Now to get lacus and get out of here…hello, what's this?"

A strange lump caught his eyes as he turned to retrace his steps. It was too far away to be part of the ship and looked too lumpy, and irregular to be manmade garbage or shrapnel flung from the wreckage, even if it was big enough. But it was in one piece so not one of the slaughter victims. Another survivor? Closer examination brought a rather nasty surprise.

_It's a wolf corpse. A youkai wolf and it's fresh. In life, it must've been one nasty piece of work. But where's its pack? Wolves of all kinds rarely wander alone. Unless…_ His attention shifted momentarily to the mangled remains. _Did that bear creature kill them? If he did, he saved our lives. A youkai like this would never avoid humans, he'd attack. Wolves are very territorial and with this one's size, the pack must have lorded over the entire forest. Did the bear really kill it?_

He paused for a moment before deciding it didn't matter. If the creature had been able to break the neck of such a beast as the wolf and tear the rest of its pack mates up like tissue paper, all while critically wounded, it was much too powerful to be trusted.

He was a firm believer in the old saying: Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

"Athrun!"

Lacus? Hang on! I'm coming! Did it wake up?"

_No, it couldn't have woken up yet! It was out cold! Oh…shit…_

His original fears, those he'd attempted to use to defer Lacus from coming, returned as a fire grew, threading along the ground like a snake. It was following a trail of oil soaked shrapnel. _Soon it will be at the engines, then…BOOM. Crap. We need to get out of here._

"We're leaving. NOW."

"But-!"

"Lacus, if we stay, we'll be killed in the blast! A ship this size will decimate 500 yards at least and we have less then three minutes to get that far away!"

"But Mr. Bear's in no condition to move!"

"Screw Mr. Bear, we need to get out of here!" Athrun as very nearly panicking. Why wouldn't' she just abandon the monster? It was a killer for crying out loud!

"No! If he stays, I stay!"

"Fine!" Before she could throw herself over the furry eared boy, Athrun roughly snatched him into his arms bridal style, then took off running. "Now come on!"

"Coming!" Lacus rustled through the brush behind him as they careened through the forest in the direction of the dirt road they'd driven out on.

"There's the car!"

"I'll drive!"

"No, I'll drive. You watch your new **this**."

Lacus was a careful driver; they'd never make it in time with her behind the wheel.

"Hurry Athrun!"

"I'm going as fast as I can!"

-**_screeeeeech!-_**

"Be careful!"

"I AM!"

A low groan interrupted as the creature stirred, twitching and moaning. "Lacus, be-!"

"Watch the ROAD!"

-_**WHAM! -** crsh…..thd-_

"Whoa!" too late, the college student turned back to the windy dirt road. Just in time to hit a tree.

"You should have let me drive."

"Are we far enough away?"

"Well, you were going pretty fast." She looked through the back window of the small hover car. "I think we're almost 500."

"Almost?"

-**_Fwoom!-_**

"Get down!" Athrun grabbed his girlfriend, pushing her down to protect with his body as the fire lit and went up in a tower of smoke and flame. The shock wave carried through the ground and the air with frightening speed. Trees fell, animals screamed, and everything shook.

But the car stayed upright and intact.

* * *

Several minutes after the explosion, Athrun cautiously moved off Lacus to look at their ravaged surroundings. 

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, you?"

"Yeah. Sorry I crashed the car. And yelled at you. Guess I _should_ have let you drive."

"It's okay. Will it move?"

He revved the motor but nothing happened. "Nope."

"Can we fix it?"

"I'll check."

Looking under the paneling over and beside the hover vehicle's engine proved inconclusive in determining the problem. However, none of the major lines were cut or damaged so the repairs wouldn't take more then an hour or two even without being diagnosed. When he imparted the good news to Lacus (still sitting in the car with the creature sprawled across her lap), she paled and cleared her throat.

"Should we walk the rest of the way then?"

"Why? I said it wouldn't take long."

"Well, earlier you said most youkai come out at night."

"Yeah, so?"

"The sun's almost ready to set."

"Oh. Then yes, let's walk. I'll come back tomorrow morning for the car."

With unconcealed relief, Lacus opened the door and handed Kira to Athrun before stepping out herself and setting off down the road.

Glaring angrily at his charge, Athrun followed. _This is all your fault somehow. Everything was going fine until the ship crashed and we found you. I mean, **nothing** has gone right since!_

As if in response to the dark thought, Kira sighed softly and twisted around in the young man's arms, unknowingly seeking a warmer, more comfortable position. He settled curled in a ball with one hand lightly fisted in his carrier's hiking shirt and his head resting directly over Athrun's chest, where he could here a steady heart beat.

"Athrun, come on!"

"Coming, coming…" With a last unsettled look at Kira's suddenly innocent appearance, he hurried down the path.

Somehow, he no longer felt like blaming the creature for part of the situation. He was as much a victim as anyone.

And while his attention was diverted, rounded ears twitched, shifting swiftly into those of a fox with the increased comfort.

* * *

_I suppose I could…no, that wouldn't work either! But I can't let Athrun leave that poor boy out in the cold for the youkai! He has a good heart, but he'd do it to protect me._

"Lacus? You're very quiet; is there anything wrong?"

She jerked almost imperceptivity before smiling wanly at her boyfriend. Maybe if she was just honest about how she felt, Athrun would let him stay.

"I guess I'm just a little shaken about so much happening in such a small amount of time. And I was thinking…"

"Yes?"

"Where are we going to put him tonight? I doubt he's used to sleeping on a bed."

"Whoa, hang on. IT is a monster! Lacus, we can't let it inside the fence!"

"But he's injured and in pain!"

"And still managed to slaughter at least five other animals! I don't want a killer around me while I sleep!"

She looked at the small bundle in Athrun's arms and felt her heart melt. "He's sleeping! Oh, isn't that cute! He looks just like a child; and I think he likes you!"

Neither of them knew Kira really had shrunk; after sleeping in non-human forms for so long, his body was unconsciously trying to convince him to transform. But he was too far gone to feel the urge.

"NO Lacus."

_Well, it's a bit underhanded, but when all else fails…_she used the puppy eyes, gazing up at him hopefully.

"Please?"

"Lacus, we don't …can't…ugh."

_Never fails._

"Look, It killed several creatures back there and possibly some of the crew of the ship. We've already been labeled a threat; it tried to kill us more then once. I can't allow something around that to get near you. You'd be in grave danger. It can't come into the house."

"But he can come inside the fence?"

"I guess. If you really want to keep It, I'll fence off part of the garage to make a cage and you can keep him in there."

"Thanks Athrun! But where will you get strong enough fencing?"

The builders left some youkai-proof mesh in the shed from the outer fence. I think we're supposed to use it to fix the original if anything goes wrong, but it'll work for this."

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek in thanks, drawing a grudgingly pleased grunt.

"And of course I need to dress his injuries and set broken bones."

"Lacus, It looks badly hurt and carrying it like this can't have helped. Will it even survive?"

"I hope so."

"I'll put a table in the other side of the garage for the night. Not like we have a car right now. You can fix him up on that."

She pouted slightly, but acquiesced.

* * *

An hour and a half later, a suitable set up had been arranged with sturdy electric fencing blocking off half the garage; completing the enclosure was a door fashioned from balsa wood and fence scraps for access and depositing food. 

While Athrun set that up, Lacus bandaged and set all the injuries and broken bones she found. The job was unfortunately way out of her league and neither human really expected Kira to last the night.

Nevertheless, they left him cocooned in several cozy blankets in the warmest corner of the cage with a bowl of fresh water next to his head when they went to bed, exhausted from the eventful day.

Just in case.

* * *

TBC? 

REVIEW!

* * *

Sorry this chapter is so short. I considered continuing for a few more pages but couldn't see how I'd be able to finish it cleanly if I did. 

I'm not really proud of it (considering Kira was unconscious for the entire thing) and still haven't' gotten to most of the information that was supposed to supplement the plot.

But whatever, it's up and next chapter will hopefully be more interesting.

Well, I'm not allowed to respond to reviews inside the chapter anymore; ffnet outlawed it. However, there is a new PM/reply system I can use! Everyone who reviews gets a free summary preview!

But you hafta be signed in when you review, otherwise I can't get back to you.

Seeya!

* * *

Thanks for reviewing: 

**SpiritsMelding**

**Anime-rocks05**

**Maryam Khanoom**

**R**

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**WillTheWatcher**

**Nevermore-Amaya**


	6. First Night

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way shape or form own any of the characters or anything having to do with Gundam Seed.

ALSO, this is an AU. There are youkai (demons) as well as humans, and hybrids (well….there's one hybrid). Let me know if you guys want a background chapter to tell you what this universe is like.

Characters are settling into their usual selves by now. Might actually be an obvious difference.

It took so friggin' long to get this stupid chapter done….blech. I just could not find inspiration after getting back to school.

And yes, I know I should be working on Nicol's New Fate or Freedom Through Inferno but this was the only one I could actually dredge up the inspiration for. Hopefully it's a symbol of what's to come, but I dunno.

Sorry if a few of the scenes are disjointed. I was having a hard time with...well, everything.

Hope ya like.

* * *

Experiment

Last time:

_While Athrun set that up, Lacus bandaged and set all the injuries and broken bones she found. The job was unfortunately way out of her league and neither human really expected Kira to last the night. _

_Nevertheless, they'd left him cocooned in several cozy blankets in the warmest corner of the cage with a bowl of fresh water next to his head._

_Just in case._

Chapter 6: First Night

-------------------------

Kira slept dreamlessly, emerging out of the panicked blackness of unconsciousness to slip into soothing slumber. It did not take long for his programmed mind to realize something was…off. Loathe as he was to wake up, the youth's training wouldn't allow him to go back to sleep. With a loud yawn, he blinked his eyes open, refusing to move from his comfortable little nest to connect with the rest of the world.

Wait…

Comfortable? Nest?

_There's something definitely not right here. But I don't care. _Stubbornly, he snuggled down. _I'm tired, comfortable, and my body aches when I move. So why move? I'll just go right back to sleep. Uh-huh, I'll- _"Yipe!"

He yelped lightly, jumping to all fours, only to topple over when only 3 limbs met concrete.

_Concrete? What's going on? Where am I? What happened?_

"Oof!" a push later and he was in a sitting position. Thankfully, his brain was much too lethargic from sleep and, though he didn't know it, painkillers at the moment to panic like he had the last time something unexpected happened. Unlike at the crash site; this time, common sense had time to shine through.

_Let's see…most important? Where am I?_

A light sniff proved the surroundings were unfamiliar and once his eyes had adjusted, he was able to make out definite details.

The most prominent feature was the cage, a strange contraption in which three sides and the roof were wood, the floor concrete, and the final side (the one facing the rest of the room) some kind of flimsy wire mesh with an even weaker looking door set in off to the side. Furnishings included himself, several blankets, and a bowl of water that had been there approximately 7-8 hours (it didn't smell stale yet, but wasn't exactly fresh). The whole set-up was obviously makeshift, judging by the locked cabinets and empty counters lining the walls even inside the cage.

_Well, this is odd…_ He stood, shoving up onto…**TWO** legs? _I never sleep in this form. Why am I like this? All I remember is pain, then action, and…oh. OH! I get it! Those two people I attacked put me in here! Do they work for Hibiki? Mrgh. Maybe, but I don't think so, not anymore. If they did, they'd know such a flimsy unit would never be able to hold me for any length of time. But if their not with him, then who are they?_

A flicker of shame and remorse made him shuffle and bow his head stiffly (trying not to aggravate any of his wounds). If they didn't work for Hibiki, they were innocent and clueless. Come to think of it, they certainly fit the mold. Had he really attacked two harmless people passing by?

_Kind ones. _He gloomily observed his surrounding with a new, more open mind. The pen was spacious and clean, with enough water to tide him over and more then enough blankets to keep him comfortable, a luxury he'd never been allowed before. They thought he was an animal, understandably under the circumstances, but that wasn't what bothered him.

_They…helped me? Even after I tried to kill them and took out the wolf pack? They didn't even turn me in to whatever law enforcement officials or police reside here!_

The flicker of remorse turned into a full blown bonfire of guilt and confusion. Humans had taken him in?

_I can't stay here. I don't know what happened to that blonde man and my creator, but I was the only one in the crash so they probably survived and if they did, they'll be looking for me. It's only right that I do something to apologize to these humans and running away will benefit them the most in the long run._

Determined, he took a single slow step towards the door, focusing on trying to get used to the semi-unusual feeling of his bipedal stance. He'd been humans once, naturally moving around on two legs, but it still felt weird.

By the time he reached the door, he was panting from exertion and had come to a rather nasty realization.

He was too weak.

It was a new sensation, weakness, but shouldn't have been unexpected. The crash, fighting, the human landing on him…his body was exerting too much energy on healing and too little on anything else. If he tried to survive out in the woods with wild youkai and no provided food…he'd die. Hell, he might not even make it past the front door!

_But what do I do? _His ears, still in fox form, dropped sadly, making hair clotted with dried blood shift beside his face. Subconsciously, he reached up for it, only to encounter a hindrance. For the first time, he took stock of his own condition. It was not good. Not nearly as bad as before, quick healing was a benefit of youkai genetics, but the injuries were still horrific. Blood was still seeping through the once white bandages crisscrossing his chest and…wait. Bandages?

So the humans hadn't just taken him in, they'd also given medical attention. He'd never been allowed any in the lab; the scientists always strapped him to a metal table and kept him doped while they tested his regeneration abilities or waited for the aftereffects of his training to fix themselves.

_But the people I've known and hated all my life aren't here. I don't think I can run away yet, it'll take at least 73 hours for my body to recuperate enough. And even then the chances of survival are slim. I've never had to provide for myself before. It might be in my instincts as a youkai, but I was originally human. Are these people to be my new captors then?_

With a frustrated mumble, he leant against the door, a hard won goal. _Since when is life so confusing? Probably since I escaped and actually _With a whine, he dug the cracked claws on his good; well, better; hand into the wood part of the door, scrunching closed his eyes and taking out all his confused uncertainty and agitation on the flimsy building material.

_I mean, how did this happen? And why do I feel this way? I'm a monster, right? No emotions? But I'm neEEEAGH!_

_-**whine**_-

He didn't notice as the wood splintered or snapped, but he felt quite clearly when it gave. His battered body hit the floor with a painful thud and he lay still, trying not to whimper in agony.

_Note to self, falling on broken bones and numerous gashes hurts even worse then getting tazed with a stun stick._

With a low moan, he used his better arm to push himself back into the cage and took stock of the damage he'd done. The wood holding the door to the rest of the side, the wire mesh, had splintered and components of the construction itself were bent where Kira had been leaning.

_Well, at least it's all pretty much in one piece. _He thought ruefully. _Kind of ironic that as soon as I realize I need to stay for a few days, I destroy something. Doubly so since I'm usually TRYING to destroy things._

A low thud caught his attention off in the unmapped portion of the room. _What was that?_

The click of a deadbolt withdrawing made both ears shoot straight up.

_Someone's coming! I can't let them know I'm awake! But the door's still-_

A rectangle of dim light shone into the empty space.

_I can't…I don't…_his eyes darted between the door and blankets. _Maybe if I just prop it up…_

_

* * *

_

"Mgh. 'Ello?"

Still rubbing sleep from his eyes, Athrun stumbled down the single cement step into the garage.

"Is anyone there?"

_That's funny, I was sure I heard something. Ugh, pull yourself together Zala, we're in the middle of nowhere with only the animals and youkai for company and none of _them _know how to open doors. Unless the creature escaped. _

He fumbled for the light switch, clicking it on to take a closer look.

"Agh! Owwwwww…"

Not the brightest idea when your eyes are still sensitive from sleep.

Several moments later, sufficiently awake and able to see, the young man scanned the garage for movement or anything out of the ordinary that could have caused the noise.

There was nothing whatsoever.

"Well, nothing besides** you**, that is."

He scowled lightly, partially annoyed, but also worried. During the hour or two after they'd returned, he'd gotten a good look at the creature. He still didn't know what it was, but when seen as a human rather then a bear, especially one so injured, the boy looked oddly innocent. Vulnerable.

"Almost," he mused aloud, "like before was only a fluke. Or maybe you aren't even that bear. I mean we never actually saw you transform, the bear could have just run off. Leaving me alive after winning, no paw prints or trail, and escaping Lacus' attention completely." He scowled. "Yeah right."

Taking a few steps closer, he dared to lean down by the other boy's head. Or at least, on the same level as it.

"I figured you wouldn't appreciate a small enclosure, so I hope this is big enough. Across, it's 10 ft; tall, probably…ummmm…15 ft. Why is the garage 15 feet tall? Are they expecting giants to stay here or something? Meh, whatever. And deep, it's 8 ft. Bigger then that little cage thing I found at the crash site."

So mixed up in his own thoughts was he that he didn't notice the sharp jerk and flicker of ears from the being within the cage.

"I wonder if you were in that? I mean you're obviously not normal. Maybe some kind of altered youkai? Mmph; I don't know. Or really care. Thinking hurts my brain this time of night. Or-." He glanced at his watch "-morning."

Turning to leave, he swiftly passed all of Lacus' health care tools and the bloody table they'd used to patch the creature up on. He paused momentarily at the bloody towel she'd used to wipe her hands.

_Lacus…_

"Ya know, you're really lucky. Lacus wouldn't let me leave you at that ship when it blew. Not that I regret it or anything, just…you have her to thank for your life. That is, if you survive. Judging by the way you looking, you won't live past morning."

Reaching the door, he turned off the light, took a last glance, and entered back into the house, locking the door behind him.

_Pfeh. I must really be tired. Talking like that to a youkai. I mean, who knows if he's smart enough to understand? He's most likely dead by now anyways, I should probably have taken a closer look, but I don't want to be the one to break the news to Lacus._

_

* * *

_

_Well,_ Kira didn't move. _That was…unexpected. Why did they help me if they thought I wouldn't survive? I mean, I tried to kill them!_

With a frustrated groan, he pulled himself into a functional sitting position. After his earlier mad dash back to the blankets, the pain had intensified.

_Well, I guess I won't be trying to fix the door then. No way to hide the evidence of my being awake._

Now, the mind of a captive creature is complex and bizarre. Often, they hate their state of confinement and lack of choice. Long for the liberation of freedom with every fiber of their being. However, even those that were not born into captivity gradually become familiar with it, taking slight comfort in the schedules and lack of responsibility. When finally offered freedom by some twist of fate, they find themselves plunged into a flurry of new expectations and emotions, not to mention the unique and frightening experience of free will. No longer are they told what to do or proved for, they must think for themselves and forge a new life in an environment different from anything they've ever known.

In a case like this, such a being clings desperately to any form of familiarity or reliability. They'll take comfort even in what they hate.

A few make it in the new world, some don't; many run back where they came from.

That was the situation Kira found himself in inside the cage Athrun had built. So much had changed so quickly and dramatically that his human emotions and knowledge was returning full force to cope.

He still wanted to be free, but was wondering just what sort of world he'd escape into if he stepped out the broken door.

_Bleh; I don't understand what's going on. I don't like humans, but new information shows I was one once. Plus, these two don't seem too bad._

Mind settled; he lay back down, arranging the blanket into a more comfortable position and sipping from the bowl of water before falling asleep.

_One step at a time. For now, I'll stay and get better. The rest I'll just play by ear._

_

* * *

_

"Lacus, don't get your hopes up."

"I know. I won't."

"Be careful."

"Athrun, just open the door."

Kira's ear twitched and a single violet eye slitted open. Golden sunlight illuminated the garage and the two figures at the door to his pen. The eye closed and he lay still.

"Ah, her it…Oof!"

"Athrun? What's wrong?"

"It…broke. But that's impossible!"

"You're stronger then you look Athrun." The gentle laugh in her voice caused even Kira's mouth to twitch slightly.

"Heh, guess so. I'll fix it later; if the creature made it."

Light footsteps sounded as the female trod closer, followed by harder ones as Athrun followed.

"Now I just need to make sure the anesthetics I gave him didn't affect the pulse. I hope it's in the same place as on a human. If not, I'll need to find it."

The hair on the back of Kira's neck was prickling like crazy with a human so close, but he forced himself to lie still under the wandering hands that didn't quite touch his skin.

"There!" when a cool hand touched his pulse, instinct would not allow him to remain impassive any longer. Both eyes shot open, wide and angry, to glare into those of the girl separated from him by a mere foot of air.

Neither moved. The hand frozen on his throat began to tremble ever so slightly.

"Well," Athrun's voice was soft and scared in the background. "Crap."

* * *

TBC?

REVIEW!

* * *

-**_Snicker_**- I really love cliffies, don't I?

* * *

Well, I think this chapter was a bit more interesting but I really can't wait until they start interacting again.

Not to mention when Kira starts talking and I can actually start writing real conversations rather then thoughts and musings.

Sorry about that explanation paragraph on captivity, but I figured some people really wouldn't understand why Kira wasn't freaking out upon finding himself in a cage, so…yeah. It's there; and not something I'm used to so it's probably pretty bad.

Urgh. Not my best work this time either; inspiration was at about 0.

But still, I hope you liked it.

One review less last time, but that's actually pretty good considering I didn't like that chapter much.

Well, I'm not allowed to respond to reviews inside the chapter anymore; ffnet outlawed it. However, there is a new PM/reply system I can use! Everyone who reviews gets a free summary preview!

But you hafta be signed in when you review, otherwise I can't get back to you.

Seeya!

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Thanks for reviewing:

**RainPure**

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**Shadow Fox777**


	7. In the Morning

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way shape or form own any of the characters or anything having to do with Gundam Seed.

ALSO, this is an AU. There are youkai (demons) as well as humans, and hybrids (well….there's one hybrid). Let me know if you guys want a background chapter to tell you what this universe is like.

Characters are settling into their usual selves by now. Might actually be an obvious difference.

Ummm…

Don't like this chapter much. But I'm happy it's up.

Part of my tribute to presidents' week! I'm updating every single one of my Gundam Seed fanfictions this weekend, hopefully all at the same time.

Hope ya like.

Oh, I got even less reviews this time. And the fewer reviews I get, the less inspiration I have so the fewer chapters get up.

So…I'm gonna leave it up to you guys.

* * *

Experiment

Last time:

"_There!" when a cool hand touched his pulse, instinct would not allow him to remain impassive any longer. Both eyes shot open, wide and angry, to glare into those of the girl separated from him by a mere foot of air._

_Neither moved. The hand frozen on his throat began to tremble ever so slightly._

"_Well," Athrun's voice was soft and scared in the background. "Crap."_

Chapter 7: In the Morning

-------------------------

Lacus was frozen in shock. He was alive! He'd made it through the night!

"Athrun look! He's alive!"

"Lacus, are you **insane**? Don't **_move_**!"

"He's alive!"

"Yes, yes the vicious animal well within claw's reach of you is very much alive, awake, and angry." He sounded scared.

_Oh._ She looked at her patient again, this time taking in the tense muscles, bared fangs, and angry glare of a cornered animal. Suddenly he was no longer the lost teenager she'd treated, he was the monster responsible for the horror scene they'd found at the crash.

"Athrun…" her voice was soft, remarkably controlled for the situation. "What do I do?"

"Move backwards slowly, don't stand up or you might be perceived as a threat."

She began inching backwards on her hands and knees, never taking her eyes off the wounded creature.

"Don't make yourself appear overly aggressive or submissive, you don't want to be considered as a threat or prey."

"Can I stand now?" she was about three feet away from her original position.

"Slowly, and keep backing away." Gentle hands caught her shoulders and guided her back at a slight angle.

"We're almost there, only about a foot or two left. Now…yes. There! We're out!"

**-CRACK!**-

The door snapped clean off the framework.

"Oh crud."

"Athrun, what happened?" her voice, though calm held an undercurrent of deep fear.

"I forgot that the door was already broken!"

"Can you fix it?"

"Yeah, but it'll take a few hours!"

"But Mr. Bear is awake, what if he comes over before then?"

"I don't know, alright? Let me think!"

_I guess,_ she realized belatedly _Athrun was right about this being a risky venture. But it was still the right thing to do and I'm sure that Mr. Bear will be grateful when he realizes what we did for him. I just hope that doesn't happen after he kills us. I hope he doesn't just assume we're bad when he sees the cage. It is necessary to keep us safe while we help him._

"Maybe…" Athrun was staring at the broken door, deep in thought. "I can make a substitute I guess. It won't be that strong but will close the gap and hopefully the creature won't try to apply pressure to it if it blends with the rest of the cage wall. Lacus, can you grab that table we used last night? Just push it over while I hold this board up?"

"Alright. I hope this works."

They set about blocking the doorway quickly and quietly, fueled by nervous energy born from fear.

* * *

Kira watched the humans with detached amusement. The female was naïve and the male over excitable. However, he seemed to know quite a bit and was unsure of how he felt about the hybrid youkai so he was a possible threat.

_I'll need to keep an eye on him; at least until I'm sure he's harmless. But that shouldn't take long, both of them seem…nice. _Kira watched his captors blocking the doorway with interest but didn't move. _Do they really think that's going to stop me if I want to get out? _He yawned, shifting stiffly onto all fours to stretch at the same time.

_Not likely, but I'm not planning on running away so it doesn't really matter. Besides, I'm still in a bit of pain from yesterday. The rest did wonders and the bandages helped but I'm going to stick with my estimate from before. Three days._

Sleepily, he arranged himself back in the blankets and curled up to watch the other two through half lidded eyes. They hadn't even noticed him move.

_Hmmm…I wonder who they really are? They call each other by name so they probably don't work together but they seem too different to be mates. Mates? No, that's the word for animals. They used it when talking about my future in the lab, but that doesn't mean anything. Wrong word. Ummm... Married. They also look too young to be married. Not that I have much to base my assumptions on._

The male glanced his way nervously and paused, blinking. His scent changed from fear to confusion. No doubt he'd just noticed Kira was still in bed

_I guess he just realized I'm not going to try to charge the door or attack in any way. Sure took him long enough._

_

* * *

_

Athrun stopped, nearly dropping the piece of wood he was holding in surprise. He could swear the creature was lying differently when Lacus approached him. And he distinctly remembered those sharp eyes boring into them both as they backed out of the enclosure. Now the eyes were closed and the beast appeared to be asleep again.

"Athrun, what's wrong? We need to hurry."

"Yes, but look."

"Hm?" her eyes widened slightly but not nearly as much as her boyfriends' had. "Looks like he went back to sleep."

"Back to sleep? That just doesn't happen. He's a wild animal who just woke up in a cage in a strange place surrounded by strange people. He wouldn't just go back to sleep. He's probably waiting for us to let our guard down. Although that's not exactly normal either."

"Is there anything that might make him act that way?"

"Only thing I can think of is if he's been in a cage before for a significant period of time. But if that's the case-."

"Honestly Athrun, you're so paranoid. He's comfortable, safe, and surrounded by friends. Maybe he can sense it."

"Youkai don't function that way."

"How do you know so much about then?"

"I had to take a practicing course in the field before I could enter any serious classes. I worked in a lab with a man who experiments on youkai. He was a good guy and treated them well, but the monsters were bloodthirsty no matter what. It would have been impossible to stay there for any length of time and not learn how to handle them."

"Maybe this one's different? I mean, we don't even really know what he is, maybe he's not a youkai at all."

"Or maybe he's in too much pain to move."

"Oh no! You're probably right. Poor thing, I'm going to go get more bandages to rewrap his wounds."

"Lacus…"

"Athrun, he hasn't tried anything and I can't just let him suffer, can you?"

This time, the puppy dog eyes had nothing to do with Athrun's silence (though they were out in full force).

_She's right. But she doesn't understand that this…thing…is mostly likely a wild animal, injured and scared. I need to get rid of it somehow before it is well enough to hurt anyone. But there's no harm in allowing Lacus to treat it while it's unconscious or unable to move._

"Alright Lacus, I-huh?" she was gone. He scowled in annoyance.

"Why does she bother to talk to me if she's just going to do it anyways? At least now she'll leave you alone for a while." He addressed the creature "There aren't any bandages in the house, last night she had to tear up a few sheets. I hope the original owners of this cabin don't mind that they won't be getting the bed wear back."

Grumbling to himself, he returned to his task completing the makeshift door and starting on the pile of fragments he was going to turn into a permanent fixture.

"Geez, how do I do this? Last time I had some clue but it didn't work out very well and now all my materials are in pieces." Doubtfully, he regarded his tools as he set them next to the pieces.

_How did the door break in the first place? No matter what Lacus says, I know it was already broken when we came out this morning._

"Heh, maybe the youkai did it during the night."

"Grn."

"**Wha-?"** with a startled yelp, Athrun pitched forward, narrowly avoiding impaling himself on a particularly sharp fragment of wood. He groaned softly in pain and flushed with embarrassment. Some handyman he was. A low grunt brought him back to the source of the noise. He blinked and swallowed nervously, forcing himself not to shake and reveal fear.

The creature was crouched on the other side of the fencing, kneeling but a few feet away.

"W-well," _Dammit! I stammered. But if I remain calm I might still have a chance of convincing him I'm not scared. Something I need to do if I want to live through this. _"You sure look better today."

A low grunt and yawn was his only answer. The other seemed far more focused on his tools then him.

"I guess you've probably never seen tools before, have you?"

No response. Athrun wasn't really expecting one.

"These are: a hammer, nails, screws, screwdrivers, a wrench, nuts, washers, bolts, a ruler, a measuring tape, gloves, and wire clippers." As he named each object, he gestured in its general direction. He was awarded with an interested mumbling sound when he'd finished.

"Thanks to you, I need to use all this to rebuild that door. What did you do to it? Body slam it?"

He scowled at the creature, now looking disinterested, and continued. "You do know you're not here for long, right? I mean, I'm going to need to either tell the ranger about you or get you out of here myself. Preferably…well, I don't know. Either way there is the possibility of someone getting hurt if you attack."

"Grrrnghrrr…" a low growl make Athrun flinch and jerk further away form the cage, raising his arms slightly in supplication. "Hey now, I didn't…" the excuse died on his lips.

The caged one was sitting on the floor holding the end of a bandage in his mouth. The rest of said medical wrap was hopelessly tangled around his arm, where it had started, and entwined with both his legs and other arm. He looked stuck.

Athrun couldn't help sniggering at the predicament.

"And I was scared of you?"

* * *

Kira bit back a scowl, growling instead at the other boy. He was far too amused by this.

_Honestly_ he tugged futily at the bandage with his teeth. _It's not my fault I'm so weak from yesterday. Or that I can't transform until my energy is stored up again. Besides, even at my weakest I'm stronger then him._

"Do you want help?"

_Whoa, what? I thought he was scared of me._

The human walked towards the door, not noticing his captive's confused look.

"Hang on, let me just…" he carefully took off the temporary door, trying not to break it.

Kira mentally rolled his eyes. _Does he really think a door that he can break just by touching will keep me in? …w-what's he doing?_

Athrun had picked up a tool with two sharp edges and rubber handles. It bore a resemblance to many of the instruments Hibiki had used.

_He worked in a lab; he said he was going to get rid of me. I was wrong before. These humans are with Them!_

With a thunderous, painful snarl, he lunged up. The bandages impeding him tore at the sudden pressure, allowing him to get into a defensive position as his ears shifted with his emotions to those of a cat.

The college student froze, eyes going wide as dinner plates.

* * *

_Crapcrapcrapcdrap. How could I have been so stupid and careless?_

Slowly, making no sudden movements, he backed away. "E-easy. It's alright. I-I'm not going to do anything."

The growl became deeper, causing him to halt instantly. He wasn't trembling, oh no, he was too scared to tremble.

A change in tone drew his carefully averted gaze to the youkai's eyes. (1)

He went rigid. _ That was what I was trying not to do! Please don't kill me, I'm not a threat and I bet I taste really bad…_

It took a moment for him to realize that the other was not meeting his gaze; he wasn't even watching his opponent.

_Wait…he's watching the scissors?_ He moved the hand with the scissors and was rewarded with a snarl and hiss. The other hand drew no reaction whatsoever.

_And he got angry about when I picked them up. It's not me he's mad at, it's the scissors. Of course, I'm holding the scissors so he'll take it out on me if he decides to fight so it doesn't really make a difference._

"Easy. Look, these are scissors. Sci-ss-ors. I was just going to cut you out of those mummy wraps with them." He slowly made them move, separating and squeezing the handles by turn to demonstrate. "The metal is a little sharp to cut through whatever I want and the rubber is to make it comfortable to use."

The growl dwindled to a suspicious grumble.

"Are you going to let me help you?"

A concerned, almost fearful glare was his only response.

_Fearful? I wonder why._

"I'm going to come closer now. I promise I'm not a threat to you."

He advanced again, coming within touching distance quickly. The creature did not move but his muscles were tense and ready to spring. Athrun didn't let up his soothing mantra even once for fear that it was the only thing keeping his patient calm.

"Good boy. See, this doesn't hurt, does it? Just taking off the bandages. No need to attack me or go on the offensive. I'm just lending a helping hand. There! That's the last one."

His hasty retreat went unnoticed as the hybrid seemed to examine his injuries and the pieces of bandage littering the floor.

At the door, Athrun looked back to admire is handiwork and paused, rubbed his eyes, and looked again.

"Oh my God." The injuries that had appeared fatal the previous night had not just stabilized; they were well on their way to healing! Gashes that had been deep enough to be life threatening were now shallow cuts and broken bones were, judging by the patient's movement, tender but whole.

"Not even youkai can heal like that…"

He wasn't aware he'd spoken aloud until the captive's angry, fearful glare met his gaze again.

They stood in silence watching each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.

* * *

"Athrun, I couldn't find any bandages."

"Hn."

"Athrun…what are you doing?"

"I just…cut off his bandages."

"You…" Lacus sighed in annoyance, dropping her load and walking over to where he stood half inside the cage. "Weren't you the one who kept going on and on about how dangerous he is?"

Athrun flushed slightly, pulling out of his staring contest with the creature to drop his gaze to the floor and mumble.

"Yes."

"Yet you went in and got close enough to touch him while he was both awake and mobile."

"He'd got caught in the bandages. I needed to cut them off for him."

"Cut them off? What about his wounds? I couldn't find any more bandages!"

"I don't think that's an issue any more."

"What do you mean? I'm going to help him get better, if you're trying to make me abandon him again; it's not going to happen."

"No, it's not…" he seemed confused and uncomfortable.

"Look."

"What?"

"Look at his injuries."

She turned, deciding to humor him, and froze, eyes widening. "Oh my!"

"See? They're almost gone."

She blinked rapidly, putting a hand to her mouth out of habit as she took in the sight. Her patient was almost whole again, but dried blood still stained him from head to toe and dirt was beginning to cake at the edges of the cuts. This was what Lacus focused on.

"There's dirt getting in."

"What?" Athrun blinked incredulously, mirrored by the youkai. Both looked back to the wounds then at each other. **_That_** was what she chose to focus on?

"If he doesn't get clean, those cuts will get infected and he still might die."

"How do you suggest getting him clean? Spraying him with a hose?"

She paused, startled. _I expected him to tell me it was impossible, that Mr. Bear is vicious and now that he's healed we should just let him go. What happened between them while I was gone?_

"Lacus?"

"Oh heaven's no. A hose would be rather painful and make everything worse rather then better. Not to mention we'd need to put him outside for that. He's still much too weak to survive on his own if he escapes."

"Then how?"

She looked at him like he was stupid and the answer was obvious.

"In the bathroom of course. You need to give him a bath."

"Oh."

Silence.

"Wait, **_WHAT_**?"

* * *

TBC?

REVIEW!

* * *

(1) Anyone who has worked with strange animals, especially aggressive ones, knows that looking into the eyes is a sign of aggression and will sometimes be taken as a challenge and invite attack. At least that's what I've experienced with dogs and what others have told me about different species.

I hope I managed to make Athrun sound a little more like himself in this chapter. I realized he was acting kind of like a wimp in the previous ones.

* * *

Meh, it was okay. I'm waiting for the next chapter. I got tired of this set up so something's gonna happen. XD. Just hope I can do it justice.

Hope you guys liked it.

Let me know what you think!

I'm not allowed to respond to reviews inside the chapter anymore; ffnet outlawed it. However, there is a new PM/reply system I can use! Everyone who reviews gets a free summary preview!

But you hafta be signed in when you review, otherwise I can't get back to you.

Seeya!

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	8. Bath

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way shape or form own any of the characters or anything having to do with Gundam Seed.

ALSO, this is an AU. There are youkai (demons) as well as humans, and hybrids (well….there's one hybrid). Let me know if you guys want a background chapter to tell you what this universe is like.

Quick update!

Erm…

I think I like this chapter, I don't consider it terrible.

But there is one thing I must take care of first.

Recently I got a review in the form of a rant about how wrong one of my facts on animals was. I got pissed because the fact being disputed depends on POV, not reality and the review felt like a flame. It festered in the back of my mind for a while until I lashed out at the reviewer in the response. You know who you are if you're still reading the story after that and I'm sorry I was so harsh.

Afterwards, the thought of the review still wouldn't leave me alone but my temper was somewhat mollified so I thought about it a bit more and realized the problem might be obscure wording on my part as well as a difference of opinion.

Back several chapters, in 3 or 4, I gave an aside note on wolves. I said the omega was the outcast rank, last on the totem pole. This is correct; HOWEVER omega is not a necessary rank. It only occurs sometimes and just because a wolf is last in the pecking order does not make it an omega. I'm not sure if it's rare or not but…yeah. I'll try to fix that when I revamp the story.

* * *

Experiment 

Last time:

_She looked at him like he was stupid and the answer was obvious._

_"In the bathroom of course. You need to give him a bath."_

_"Oh." _

_Silence._

_"Wait, **WHAT**?"_

_

* * *

_

Chapter 8: Bath

-------------------------

Kira watched his captor in confusion as he spluttered and flushed, forgetting his fairly dangerous position half inside the cage as he tried to talk to the girl.

Well, as much as he could with gapes, gasps, and hand movements.

"But…wha….doesn't….well…"

"Honestly Athrun, calm down! We knew this would happen sooner or later if he survived!"

"We knew? Who is this we you speak of? I had no idea!"

"Well, he's covered in open wounds and filth. I just figured a bath was the next obvious step. Actually, it probably should have been done first but it didn't really look like an option last night."

"But-."

"Besides, he seems to like you! I mean, you've been in his cage for about ten minutes and he hasn't attacked!"

With an amused snort, the hybrid turned towards his second captor and appraised her, choosing to ignore the sudden frantic scrabble as Athrun darted out of the enclosure and began putting the door back in place, being as careful with it as possible so it wouldn't break (1).

_She's incredibly calm. And not just in spurts, she remained calm even when I was threatening to kill her. Funny how she always stays in charge despite what the male says; I mean everything so far has been her idea: bringing me back, helping me, and now this bath business. What is a bath anyways? I know the word, the doctors and scientists referred to it a few times, but I've never witnessed one before. And what does 'giving' it mean? Is a bath a physical object, like a bandage? I don't think the male would be so scared if that was it._

"NO."

The vehemence in Athrun's voice drew Kira's attention once more.

"I am NOT going to do it and that is FINAL."

Silence reigned for a few seconds, both members of his audience startled by the sudden definitive force in his voice.

But it didn't take long for Lacus to get over her shock.

"Fine."

"Fine?"

Kira twitched his ears_. She's going to give up that easily?_

"Yes, fine. If you won't do it, I will!"

_Ah._

"No! Lacus, he's a vicious animal! And MALE! And he almost attacked you a few hours ago!"

"He is not vicious without cause, you've seen that first hand, and I'm training to be a doctor, the male body is nothing I haven't seen before."

"But-."

"Athrun." Her voice was firm. "You're not going to change my mind. If you won't give him a bath, I will."

"…Fine! I'll do it. He seems at least a little bit calmer around me."

"Oh thank you!" she pecked him on the cheek and ran back towards the house. "I'll go throw some towels in the dryer and set up the bathroom for you!"

"NOW?"

"Of course! His wounds will just get dirtier so the sooner the better!"

"But I still need to finish the door!"

"That can be done any time before we go to bed, this is urgent."

_And so she takes charge once again. _Kira noticed with dry amusement. _But I still don't really know what a bath is._

Expectantly, he shifted his gaze to Athrun but the other boy just stood there as if thinking.

_Well, it's his move this time._ Patiently, Kira set himself up to wait for Athrun to finish his introspection.

* * *

_Great, just great. I can't believe I let Lacus talk me into this. With any other person in any other position, I'd be in charge but she just…I don't know. One of the unsolvable mysteries of women I guess._

"Athrun, are you coming in yet?"

"No, not yet." He almost missed responding to her distant shout.

"Well, these towels won't take long to warm so hurry up!"

He didn't respond to that one, choosing instead to move a bit closer to the cage.

"Great. Now first things first. How am I going to get you out of there, into the house, THROUGH the house, and into the bathtub?"

There was no response but a visible flicker of …something…flashed through the captive's eyes.

Athrun scowled. "I suppose the best way would be to herd you along. I'm not about to walk in front or get close enough to restrain you so…well, I'm actually not sure if that's best way but it's the only one I can think of. I'd better make a trail."

It took about ten minutes to close all doors and block all hallways leading off the route to the bathroom, warn Lacus to stay in the kitchen and make no noise, and to find a long wooden dowel and butcher knife to assist with the task. Discounting, of course, the time needed to put on protective gear in the form of gloves, jeans, and a thick jacket.

The precautions probably wouldn't help in the least but they made Athrun more confident so they stayed.

With a deep breath to brace himself, he returned to the garage, ready for anything but assuming the worst.

_I'm probably gonna die but at least it will be me rather then Lacus._

With that final thought, he opened the cage door and strode inside.

* * *

Kira did not move as Athrun opened the door, choosing instead to stay with his blankets and watch as the human came closer, wooden stick outstretched. 

_What does he plan to do with that? Does he think it will protect him?_

When Kira was within reach, the student reached out with the stick…

_Is this a trap? He's acting like some of the lab assistants did, the green ones. Wouldn't the knife he's hiding inside his coat be a better defense? What if there's electricity in the pole? What if it's like a lighting rod! (2)_

He didn't notice the warning growl that rumbled in his throat or the way he bared his fangs and dug his claws into the floor, but his opposition sure did. Athrun froze instantly.

"E-easy boy. This is like the scissors. Remember those?"

_The scissors? I might have made a mistake again I guess…_

The growl subsided slightly but not completely.

"S-see? I just want to help you along."

_Help me along? How? And where?_

A gentle tap on his shoulder made him flinch and flip his ears in surprise. _What was that?_ He glanced down, still keeping his attention focused on the other.

The stick was poking him in the arm.

He looked at it for a moment, back to Athrun, then back to the stick which was, in fact, just a stick.

_That's it? He's going to POKE me into cooperation?_ Slight pressure was applied as Athrun moved warily out of his path to the door. Now that the human felt he had the upper hand, possibly because Kira's hostility had all but dissipated, he seemed to be gaining some confidence.

"Come on boy; just go where I direct you. No need to feel cornered or threatened or anything."

Kira suppressed a thin smile. _I'm hardly a wild animal; I long ago got over my fear of being cornered. Well, got over in the sense that I've gotten used to it. In the lab I fight back regardless but I'll do my best to suppress what's left of my instincts here. I might as well cooperate, if only to gain their trust. And I still need to find out what a bath is. Since I'm still stuck like this it'll be easier. (3)_

Slowly, pretending to be uncertain, Kira pushed himself shakily onto two legs and stumbled out of the pen, falling into his more comfortable hunched over position once outside.

He surveyed his surroundings with suspicion and slight fear, moving only when another light tap directed him through the door into the house. He'd been in cages often enough but never before been allowed to walk out or leave under his own power.

The stairs took a bit of maneuvering, he'd never gone up or down by himself before and didn't know what to make of them, but a few directional prods and gentle words got him moving with only an annoyed snarl at Athrun.

Inside the door, he stopped dead, gaping at the interior. The garage had been comfy by his standards, enough like the lab for him to make the connection between the two as places to sleep, but THIS…

_What is this?_

Numbly, he shuffled forward again, supporting himself against the wall and stretching to his full height in order to see everything.

The floor was hard but warm and darkly colored, smelling slightly of something vaguely familiar. Cleaning detergent maybe? The walls were a pleasant cream color and inset with doors every few feet. Not a single door had a print pad or electronic lock and there wasn't an alarm in sight.

It was unlike the lab, his cage, the ship…unlike anything he'd sever seen.

"In here, come on, turn into the bathroom…"

Pulled out of his surveillance, Kira absently did as he was told; only coming into full realization when the click of a manual lock engaging followed Athrun into the room.

* * *

_That was uneventful. _Athrun watched his charge with both confusion and relief. He'd acted almost human out there, going so far as to walk on two legs and lose the growling. 

"Well, you've been good so far but the hard part has yet to come. I sure hope you don't mind water."

Keeping track of the captive with slight pressure from the rod (he was really beginning to like the tool, it worked surprisingly well and kept him out of danger), Athrun observed the quarter filled tub and towel laid out.

_Along with a pair of my pants. At least they're just a pair of old sweatpants. I won't miss them. Looks like Lacus thought of everything._

A confused grunt came from the unmoving youkai. He seemed to be watching the water.

_Well, out of the frying pan into the fire. Here I go._ With an extra jerk to make sure the gloves were on tight and the knife was still hidden inside the coat, he set down the rod and stepped over to the tub, watching the creature watch him.

"It's just water, see? Not too cold, not too hot. It's used to clean people or objects. Right now I'm going to use it to get all that blood and grime off you so none of your injuries get infected."

Prick ears, almost invisible through the tangled mass that was the creature's hair, twitched in response to the speech, followed by a low, uncertain whine.

"Come on, you'll like it. I promise. It's not like it will hurt." _At least I hope it won't. Didn't he have bear ears before? Those can't prick like that…_

The youkai crept forward, watching Athrun warily the entire time. When he knelt next to the tub and turned on the water, just enough for a quick drip to start, Kira froze for a moment.

"See?" Athrun pulled a glove off and stuck his hand in, attempting to forget his helpless position. "It doesn't hurt."

_It's like dealing with a little kid._

Tentatively, Kira crouched at the other end of the bath, shying away a few times before actually putting a sharply clawed hand into the water.

Athrun held his breath, ready for a snarl or screech and the accompanying rending claws but hoping neither would come.

Neither did.

The youkai crouched, watching with fascination as the blood and dirt on his hand turned the water a murky red color.

Curiously, he leant down to lap at the water but jerked back in surprise when a bubble popped under his nose, getting water into his nasal cavities and making him snort and cough to get it out.

Athrun chuckled and removed his second glove to touch the other boy's shoulder, calmed by the harmless, childlike reaction.

"Like this." He stepped into the tub and crouched down, waiting and hoping Kira would mimic him as he had when investigating the liquid.

After watching closely for a moment, Kira slowly followed.

"Good! Now you stay there while I go get a washcloth."

If he'd been thinking just a little harder, he would have been surprised the boy obeyed his order (considering he was a 'wild animal') but as it was he just took it in stride.

* * *

_This is…odd. Not bad, just strange. Is this what a bath is?_

Kira crouched in the tub on all fours, claws extended slightly into the grips on the bottom to keep from slipping. The water was unlike any he'd ever seen, there was just so _much_. He watched the level rise with a kind of pleased confusion. He knew he had to have been cleaned at some time or other in the lab, he'd never been dirty, but he couldn't for the life of him remember when.

Which probably meant Hibiki or his lackeys had done it while he was unconscious.

_Not really surprising. _Leaning down with all four limbs, he brushed his nose on the water, looking at his reflection. He did not have much time to contemplate it before a warm hand touched his wet shoulder.

"See anything interesting?" The human was grinning, he thought it was funny. Kira pretended not to notice. "Heh, alright. This is the hard part. I'm going to put soap," he picked up a block of some substance that smelled vaguely like the detergent used to clean the lab, "on this washcloth" this time he held out a small towel in his other hand, "and rub it on your skin to get all that muck off. Alright?"

Athrun allowed Kira to sniff at the materials, he would have touched them but he was afraid he'd slip if he raised a hand, .until he was satisfied and turned away with feigned ignorance and disinterest. Actually, the thought of another touching him made him nervous, never before had contact brought anything but pain. Well, besides the few touched Athrun and Lacus had given him. So focused on ignoring the human and being unhappy was he that he almost didn't notice the first gentle touch on his tense muscles. But he did feel it and growled deeply at the contact.

"Relax boy. What does Lacus call you? Mr. Bear? I'm not going to hurt you." The hand on his back trembled as it began stroking both to calm and comfort. After a moment, Kira became silent.

_It doesn't hurt. It's like the water; not bad, just strange. But this…doesn't quite feel like that. It actually feels pretty good._

After a few strokes, the strain in his back began to ebb and it was not long before he relaxed completely, leaning against the porcelain lip of the tub and breathing evenly, almost asleep.

The only bump came when Athrun reached his pants line but it was short lived. The garment was all Kira ever wore and it was tattered enough to dissolve in the water when touched, making Athrun's task that much easier.

"Well, I think that's it."

"Hrm?" _Oh. _ Kira watched with dismay as the level of the now murky water began to decrease at Athrun's behest.

"Come on, come out of there. You're still dirty but not as dirty as you were and I think that water will do more harm then good now. A shower would be good to finish the job but I'm afraid of how you might react. Ditto for your hair, ears, and other sensitive places. Lacus might be mad when I tell her I didn't wash any part of your head or neck but I'll deal with that later. I have no idea how I'm going to dress you, but…well…"

_Oh well, it felt good while it lasted._

Much to Athrun's surprise, Kira accepted his offered hand and used it to lever himself upright and unsteadily climb out of the tub.

"Ummm...here." something strangely textured, like the washcloth, dropped onto his back, making him fidget before relaxing. Another new sensation.

"And you use that to dry yourself off before putting clothes on. Somehow I don't think you'd want me touching you like that, it's much different then the washcloth."

Kira glanced at the garment on the short seat next to him, cocking his head and crouching to sniff and investigate. It smelled like soap and Athrun and a tiny bit like the girl, Lacus.

_**-Knock-Knock-**_

Both of them jumped at the unexpected sound, Kira pulling back and growling, hunching into a defensive stance.

_What was that?_

* * *

Athrun drew away, staying calm and trying not to overreact. He had drastically revamped his views on the creature's 'dangerous nature' over the past half hour and no longer believed he was a wild, full –blooded youkai. 

_I need to stay cautious though. Should I finish this first or go see what Lacus wants?_

_**-Knock-**_

_Dressing him can wait. I won't be able to do it while he's this wound up anyways._

"Easy boy, just stay here."

A low growl was his only answer.

"I'll step outside to see what she wants."

He unlocked the door and slid out carefully, making sure to close it behind him before turning to his girlfriend.

'What's wrong Lacus?"

"A ranger is here." Concern and fear were evident in her voice.

"A ranger?"

"Yes, he's asking about the crash."

"That's good then, we can tell-."

"But I don't think he's telling the truth."

"The truth?"

"Athrun, I didn't see him in the rangers' office when we came up and he refused to show me his badge. Also, he seems a lot more interested in what we saw around the crash then in how it happened or how we are."

"…what are you saying?"

"I think…Athrun; I think he's looking for Mr. Bear."

* * *

TBC? 

REVIEW!

* * *

(1) I know I said before it was fragile, but I figured some people would need a reminder. Please tell me if it's redundant so I can choose to keep the comment or discard it when I go back and edit the story. 

(2) Flip back to the first or second chapter to the explanation of the weapon if you don't remember

(3) I know this isn't quite true, any animal or person will react if cornered, but I figure Kira's better at controlling his instinct after being cornered so many times in his cage.

* * *

Hope you guys liked it. 

Let me know what you think!

I'm not allowed to respond to reviews inside the chapter anymore; ffnet outlawed it. However, there is a new PM/reply system I can use! Everyone who reviews gets a free summary preview!

But you hafta be signed in when you review, otherwise I can't get back to you.

Seeya!

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	9. Ranger

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way shape or form own any of the characters or anything having to do with Gundam Seed.

ALSO, this is an AU. There are youkai (demons) as well as humans, and hybrids (well….there's one hybrid). Let me know if you guys want a background chapter to tell you what this universe is like.

Happy fourth of July everyone! Or, everyone in the US. Everyone else, today is independence day for us:)

Sorry it's been so long. Lots of stuff combined with lots more stuff happened and continued to happen until I honestly couldn't remember where I'd been headed with ANY of my stories.

That's why current chapters (for all my stories) aren't that good.

Ummm…oh yeah! Why I finally started writing again! I FINALLY GOT THE SERIES! Whole collection! Fifty eps plus the movie for 38 and a half dollars!

Course, I haven't had any time to watch them yet what with the crap I'm stuck doing, but they're here next to me egging me on.

So…I hope you like it and please let me know what you think!

* * *

Experiment 

Last time:

"_Athrun, I didn't see him in the rangers' office when we came up and he refused to show me his badge. Also, he seems a lot more interested in what we saw around the crash then in how it happened or how we are."_

"…_what are you saying?"_

"_I think…Athrun; I think he's looking for Mr. Bear."_

Chapter 9: Ranger

-------------------------

A wave of relief hit Athrun. _And here I thought something was wrong._

"Great! Now we can hand our guest over to people who-."

"Athrun how could you?" Lacus was near tears.

"…what?"

"Whoever had him before let that happen to him!" she gestured at the closed bathroom door. "How could you even consider giving him back?"

"Lacus, I'm sure he was well taken care of back…wherever he was before. If this ranger is here for Mr. Bear, he'll know what he is and how to treat the remaining wounds. It's a fact."

She gazed up at him, eyes watering. When she spoke, it was with a voice that shook. "But what if they're mean to him? Shove him in a little cage and do experiments?"

Her boyfriend opened his mouth to reply then closed it with a snap as a sudden memory came to mind.

FLASHBACK

**It was too banged up to really identify, but judging from the thick metal and twisted, bent bars that might have once been a door (they were too mangled to keep any being in or out anymore), it was a cage. Probably for an extremely dangerous animal.**

END FLASHBACK

With a low groan, Athrun removed his thick gloves and brushed back a wayward strand of hair. _Dammit, she's never wrong, is she? Even without having seen the cage at the crash, she guessed about the creature's…owners? Handlers? Whoever they are._

A sniffle brought him back to meet her puppy eyes.

"Alright."

"What?" she really hadn't expected to win this one, no matter how compelling her beliefs. After all, withholding evidence from the police was considered a criminal offense.

_Although I don't think rangers are police. Not exactly._

"Look, I didn't…tell you everything I found at the crash site."

"What do you mean?"

"There was…a cage." Her eyes widened. "Or at least I'm pretty sure that's what it once was. It was dented all over and covered inside and out with blood."

"Mr. Bear…" her voice was a horrified whisper.

"Looks like. However, I-."

"Miss? Excuse me, did you find your boyfriend?"

A foreign voice, obviously masculine but not remarkably deep, called from the front room.

Athrun went rigid and shot a pointed glance at Lacus.

"It's him, the ranger."

"You let him inside?"

"I couldn't leave him standing on the front step!"

"Miss? Hello? Are you lost?" footsteps echoed from the direction of the living room.

"I'll be with you in a moment! He's just getting out of the shower."

Her call seemed to mollify the intruder judging by the cessation of footsteps.

"Shower?"

"Well you can't wear that to see him!" she gestured at the soaked padding he'd donned to handle Mr. Bear.

With a light blush, he nodded and retreated to his room, stopping in the doorway.

"Why don't you go offer him some refreshments while I change? Even if he's a fake, he'll be asking questions about the crash so keep the story as true as possible. By now they'll have found the hover car so we can't deny being there."

"Alright. So we went to see the crash, found the wreckage covered in blood, then ran?"

"Good, yeah, that works."

Lacus disappeared into the living room, followed minutes later by a freshly clothed Athrun.

Neither of them noticed as a draft jarred the bathroom door open slightly. And no one was there to see when, several minutes later, a curious violet eye appeared in the resulting crack.

* * *

Kira had watched the male human leave with apprehension and the anxious, muffled sounds outside the door strengthened the emotion. 

_Is something wrong? Are they going to put me back in the cage while they deal with it?_

Silence fell as the two separated, leaving him alone in the bathroom. _Oh well, can't be that important. They wouldn't leave me here if it was. Now what's this thing the human left for me?_

Emerging from his defensive position, Kira drew the towel off his back and sniffed at it. Soap, humans, and a vague bite of ammonia (1) made him sneeze and blink in surprise. The scent was a cross between the clothes he was supposed to be wearing and the soapy bathwater back before it became dirty.

_He said it was for me to dry myself. But I'm not that wet, all I need is one good shake and…_ he paused, recalling how careful the human had been while giving him the bath. _Oh. Maybe not. I guess I could give this a try._

Slowly, he rubbed the moisture off one arm and paused, twitching both ears. _It feels like the washcloth only…warm._ Gaining confidence, he wrapped it over his back and around his legs, thoroughly absorbing the droplets of water.

But when the towel reached his neck, he paused in uncertainty. _I didn't get clean any further up. The human was scared I'd bite him. And honestly, I might have. But now… _The dirt and dried blood felt uncomfortable on his face and in his hair.

_Maybe…_eyeballing the somewhat murky water left in the tub (Athrun hadn't wanted the draining sound to scare his charge so the water was still there), Kira shuffled towards it and leaned over the edge, propping his clawed hands on the porcelain lip in the process.

Hesitantly, he shifted into a kneeling position and reached out to cup some of the liquid in his hands. After a cursory sniff he let it run through his fingers back into the tub then rubbed his face with the resulting wet hands. _It might not get rid of that gritty feeling completely but there is no way I'm going to temporarily incapacitate my eyes and nose by dunking them in that…well, it used to be water._

He washed his hair in the same fashion; filling his hands and carefully dripping onto the top of his head before spreading the wetness around. Ears were done with a bit more care because he didn't want to leave blood in the fur.

Feeling highly pleased and proud with his accomplishment, Kira finished by performing a final rub down with the towel.

_And the human left some sort of covering over there so…huh._

The donated sweats were strange to Kira. Long, with elastic in the waistband and a soft interior, they barely resembled the shorts he'd worn previously. But there are only so many ways to put pants on and one way to wear them so once Kira realized he needed to stand on two legs or lay on the floor to get them on, the process was completed without a hitch.

Finishing up, he happened to glace behind the sink at a strategically placed mirror…and shot backwards into a fighter's crouch hissing and snarling.

_What? Who is! Is that me?_

Suspiciously, with a low growl still threatening the inanimate object from deep in his chest, the hybrid slunk forward a few inches.

_I think so but…I looked so different before the bath!_ He raised one hand and watched in shock as the mirror copied him.

_I guess the dirt and blood and stuff changed how I looked. The only mirrors I saw…Back THERE…were really tiny and brought out while I was in animal form. Except my water dish and it was easier to drink from in quadripedal forms. Huh. I look…human. Well, almost. What happened to my hair?_

Twists and tangles were snarled all through the dark strands, eliciting a rather disgusted look from Kira. Having spent part of his life in feline form, such disarray was practically offensive.

The thought occupied his mind for only the barest fraction of a second; up until a single slight ray of light cut across the reflection.

_What's that? _Reverting to all fours, Kira followed the light to the door and flipped his ears, now those of a deer, forward in surprise. _It's open? Why would they leave it open?_

_Wait…they didn't. I clearly remember the male shutting it._

After peering through the crack to make sure he wouldn't get in trouble (not like they could really do anything to him but he didn't want to disappoint or offend the people treating him so well), he nudged the door open and crept into the hallway.

Voices, two familiar and one unknown, were speaking nearby, most likely behind one of the closed doors in his line of sight.

_All of which are locked or at least closed in such a way that I can't get through just like they were when we passed them a while ago. I could just knock one down but my strength isn't completely back yet. Besides, I doubt the humans would be happy if I destroyed something. _Quelling a surge of disappointment; the whole point of coming out had been to look around; Kira pushed himself to two legs and wandered down the corridor towards the voices, using the wall as a support.

* * *

"So you two are out here on vacation?" 

"That's right Mr. Ranger. We thought it would be romantic." Lacus positively beamed at the ranger, radiating innocence and harmlessness.

Athrun just hoped she wasn't overdoing it.

Upon arriving in the living room, he'd realized instantly why Lacus didn't trust the interloper. The man, introduced as Ranger Dearka Elfman, had curly blonde hair, a tan complexion, and laughing heliotrope eyes that looked woefully out of place in the middle of a forest. And not out of place like a foreigner, out of place like a person who would rather be anywhere but where he was. His responses to their story only cemented Athrun's opinion.

As the man smirked in response to Lacus' answer, Athrun felt annoyance rise.

"I believe we've already made that clear."

"Ah yes, of course." There was no apology forthcoming. "You two saw the ship hit, went to check it out, found it covered with blood, ran away, and broke the hover car just far enough away to escape the bulk of the blast. Right?"

"That's right."

"The two of you."

"Yeah."

"Uh-huh." Athrun felt his palms turn sweaty at the disbelieving response. "If that's the case, then why did the experts say your transport has three passengers rather than two?"

_Oh crap! Wait a minute…_

"Experts?" raising a skeptical eyebrow, Athrun threw the question right back. "Why do you have experts looking at my car? Was there something stolen?"

"Not important." The answer came too quickly, almost nervously. "What is important is determining who was with you."

"Why?"

"That's classified."

"Forest rangers don't have classified information."

Ranger Elfman seemed torn between snickering and scowling but didn't address the statement.

"Look, I need to know who was with you. If you don't tell me than I'm afraid I'm going to have to turn your names over to the local law enforcement."

Athrun and Lacus exchanged glances. Yeah, right. Law enforcement? Most likely whoever created Mr. Bear. Unfortunately, they were probably about ten times more worrying than the cops.

"Please don't; he's a friend of ours."

_WHAT?_ Athrun barely kept himself from gaping at his girlfriend.

"A friend, huh?"

"That's right. We couldn't afford the three person cabin but didn't want to leave him behind even though letting him come wasn't exactly legal."

"Huh. And this friend was with you at the crash?"

Ignoring the look she was receiving from Athrun, Lacus embellished on her story. "That's right."

"Where is he now?"

This was where things could get hairy.

"I think he decided to hide so that none of us would get in trouble for him being here. You won't get us in trouble, will you?"

"Er…" Faced with Lacus, Dearka backed down slightly. "No, no, of course not. In fact, I don't think I even need to ask your friend any questions."

Letting out a mental sigh of relief, Athrun stood.

"Great. Thank you; do you have any other questions?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Alright then."

The three stood; Dearka to leave and the other two to walk him to the door.

"Oh, wait." The ranger paused.

"Hm?"

"What's his name?"

"W-what?"

"Your friend. What's his name? I won't report any of you but it's important for us to have a name for…our records. Yeah." He didn't miss the nervous glance they shared. _Well that's interesting. And oh so very suspicious._

"It's…"

"Uh…" _What do we do? He doesn't have a name!_

"Well?"

"Kira." The new voice was quiet but rough, as if it hadn't been used in a long time. All three humans turned toward the bedraggled figure supporting himself on the doorframe; two with utter shock, one with mild surprise.

None of them moved as the newcomer reiterated his statement clumsily. "I'm…Kira."

* * *

TBC? 

REVIEW!

* * *

Ummm…yeah. Sucky chapter but it's 1:30 so I'm too tired to care. And the end wasn't quite the cliffy I was looking for but...meh. 

(1) Bleach if anyone really cares.

* * *

Hope you guys liked it. 

Let me know what you think!

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	10. Revelation

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way shape or form own any of the characters or anything having to do with Gundam Seed.

ALSO, this is an AU. There are youkai (demons) as well as humans, and hybrids (well….there's one hybrid). Let me know if you guys want a background chapter to tell you what this universe is like.

**NEWS!**

_I'm starting a Gundam Seed fanfiction archive! Submissions are welcome; I'm trying to get as many people as I can! Both yaoi and het will be accepted so if you write for either and would like to a) spread and circulate your work and/or b) store it in whatever order you'd like (I've noticed series getting split up and confused on ffnet a lot) then come see me! At the moment, the site's all set up but there aren't any fics up (not even mine; I haven't had time to transfer them to webpages yet) but I've also got a forum, list of challenges, and updates for interaction; even if you don't want to join, come say hi! _

_I'm also starting a personal website to let people get to know me better and to put all my scenes/drabbles/rants (tiny crossovers and scenes from stories that didn't quite get off the ground from various fandoms, GS included), WIPs, and finished stuff. Unfortunately, that one's taking a little bit more time than the archive. XD_

Come visit me! The GS site is _www. freewebs. com/hziz_ and my personal site (with lots of tidbits from bunches of series that never made it to ffnet) is _www. freewebs. com/darkling59_ . (remove the spaces and cut/paste the links)

I'm probably going to be updating more regularly and with better edited chapters on my sites; ffnet has been screwing up what I send them._  
_

Thanks for the reviews guys! Sorry it's been so long!

At the moment, I'm having one massive update of all eight of my active stories (two YGO, one Slayers, one Surface, four GS) and possibly a revamp of my POTC one-shot in honor of the second movie (which was awesome). All in honor of my new website and the end of the summer!

Er…yeah.

Oh, and I'm changing my offsite screenname. While I will remain darkling59 on ffnet, my writing name on gaia will be hziz and on my website will probably alternate between the two.

Same goes for if you want to chat or just say hi, pm me at _hziz. _My other account (darkling59) is still active but it isn't where my fan fiction is being posted. And the avatar is the wrong gender.

So…I hope you like it and please let me know what you think!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Experiment

Last time:

_"Kira." The new voice was quiet but rough, as if it hadn't been used in a long time. All three humans turned toward the bedraggled figure supporting himself on the doorframe; two with utter shock, one with mild surprise._

_None of them moved as the newcomer reiterated his statement clumsily. "I'm…Kira."_

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 10: Revelation

"Kira, huh?" Dearka studied the newcomer closely. He couldn't put his finger on it but something felt fundamentally wrong with him. "Kira what?"

A vague look of confusion crossed the boy's face. "Unh?"

"You do know your own last name, right?" the teasing tone in his voice usually got people annoyed; hell, it was meant to put them on edge, but…

_Did he just snarl at me?_

"Look kid, I don't-."

"Yamato."

"What?"

The other one, the boy with the blue black hair and bubbly girlfriend, stepped forward. He looked determined and almost fearful.

"His name is Kira Yamato. That's all the information you need, right?"

"Yeah, but-."

"It was so nice to meet you Ranger Elfman, please stop by again sometime!" he found himself being rushed out the front door at dizzying speed.

"Sure, but-."

"Goodbye!"

The door closed in his face.

With a scowl, he returned to his hover car. What the hell was that about?

"So, how'd it go?"

"Not sure." He slumped against the window, not looking at the driver.

"Did you get any information?"

The expression deepened. "No. All I got was that there are three college students in there and they're all hiding something."

"Three? I thought there were only two?"

"They smuggled the third kid in."

"Kid? Dearka, I'm still in college and you dropped out halfway through. It's doubtful they're really that much younger than either of us."

"ANYWAYS." The driver snickered but didn't interrupt "two of them, the two registered ones, acted as I would have expected but the third…" he shook his head in negativity.

"Who was he? The third one, I mean."

"Kira Yamato. Supposedly. I think Zala came up with the last name on the spot."

"Why?"

"Cuz Yamato, if that's his real name, wouldn't answer. If I didn't know better, I'd say he didn't understand what I wanted."

"What did he look like?"

Dearka closed his eyes to visualize. "Well, I have no idea where he came from but it looked like he'd been through a grinder. All he was wearing was a set of sweat pants and the rest of his body looked pretty ingrained with dirt."

"What do you mean?"

"You know how when you're really dirty, you can't get the muck off no matter what?"

"Yeah."

"Well, he looked like that all over. Minus his hair; that looked like a bird's nest; twigs and leaves included.

"That's…odd."

An inelegant snort. "Ya think?"

"What are you going to report?"

He groaned and slid further down the window. "You don't think they'll accept two crazy people who escaped being killed by the crash through good luck?"

"Heh, no. And besides, aren't you worried? That creature that escaped is supposed to be really dangerous."

"Creature?" taking interest, the 'ranger' finally turned to look at his companion. The green hair and red eyes would have been startling at first glance if he wasn't so used to the sight. "What are you talking about, Nicol?"

The younger man shot him a short glance. "You didn't hear? I thought Yzak told you."

"Guess not."

"Something escaped from the crash. HE isn't telling anyone what but we know whatever it is big, dangerous, and probably vicious."

"Damn." There was breathless horror in the single word. Big and vicious from the king of calm and understatement (commonly known as Rau la Creuset) was Not Good.

"Yeah. But their fences were up and working, right? And they looked okay?"

"Bizarre as anything but unharmed."

"Good."

"Mhm." But Dearka could not shake the feeling of trepidation. The strangest one, Kira Yamato, had been covered in scratches signifying that not long ago he'd been very hurt. But those wounds were too well healed to have been caused by the monster from the crash, right?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Athrun and Lacus stood silent as the creature slumped in the doorway glared at them.

"So your name is Kira?" Athrun spoke in what he hoped was a calming tone.

A snarl was his only answer.

He and Lacus exchanged a confused glance.

"Athrun, what do we do?"

"I don't know. He's…if he can talk, he should be able to understand but I don't think he does."

Their low vices, too soft for a human to hear, were clearly audible to the hanyou's current cat ears but their topic of conversation did nothing but annoy him. He really didn't care what they thought about him, no matter how kind they were.

_All I did was help them out a little. They didn't know my name, so I told them. _He quelled his surge of pride at the thought, knowing it would be revealed on his face. He'd talked! For the first time in however many years he'd been in lab, he had talked!

"So what do we do now?"

"I guess…well, it doesn't feel quite right but I guess we should put him back in the cage."

_Hm. I was waiting for that. _Kira dropped in to a more comfortable position crouching on the floor before allowing his ears to shift into those of a dog. _Are they going to do it or not? I'm tired and if they don't show me the way back soon, I'll just go to sleep in here._

"Ummm…Kira?"

He flicked an ear and opened one violet eye to find the male human standing a few feet away watching him carefully. The female was a few steps behind him, most likely convinced to stay back out of danger but unsatisfied with her position.

_I must have dozed off for a minute._

"I think we might have gotten off on the wrong foot. My name is Athrun."

_The what?_

Puzzled, the youth gave Athrun's extended hand a cursory sniff then looked at his foot and blinked, furrowing his brow.

For some reason, the tense atmosphere dissipated at his response. When Kira looked back up to meet the human's eyes, the fear had been pushed back by what appeared to be amusement.

"Um, yes, well…" the female giggled in the background. "This is Lacus; she's the one who patched you up the other night."

That he understood.

_Should I thank her? I wouldn't usually but they already know my secret so it shouldn't hurt._

With that in mind he nodded solemnly and flipped both his ear backwards in submission.

She bobbed her head in return, smiling. "It's nice to meet you again Mr. Kira."

Kira blinked, nodded, then yawned hugely and looked to Athrun in expectation.

"Right. Sorry. It's…" _Now what's the problem? _Seeming to pull together his nerve, the human drew himself up and began to speak. "I'm extremely sorry but I'm going to have to ask you to return to the cage in the garage." His face was almost pleading.

_He thinks I'm going to resist. _Kira realized._ Or attack. I wonder why? I could try to ask, but saying 'why' would probably confuse them. It would confuse me in their situation. But I do want to try talking again._

"…o…okay."

--------------------------------------------------------

Athrun let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. Kira might be sentient but he acted much too much like a wild animal to be treated human.

_I wonder why he didn't tell us his name right away? And why didn't he speak up at some point? I can understand his mistrust but you'd think he'd have said something during the bath at least._

A low growl made him start and back up.

"What is it? Did I do something?"

"I think he wants you to show him the way back to the garage, Athrun." Lacus was a soothing familiar presence at his side.

"Is that right?" the creature blinked slowly then nodded.

"Alright than. It's down the hallway to the right."

A blank look was his only response.

"That way." He pointed but Kira didn't move. The eyes weren't blank anymore; he understood, so what was the problem?

_He didn't have any issues before but that was different. If he were human, he wouldn't be having a problem like this. If he was an animal, he…oh, I see. He wouldn't want anyone he didn't know to be directly behind him in a position to take advantage._

"Would you like me to lead?"

No response but the slight softening of expression that greeted the statement might have been relief.

"Alright, this way."

Kira was returned to his cage without incident. Much to Athrun's surprise, the minute he opened the door, Kira gently pushed past him, made his own way into the cage and curled up on the shredded sheets he'd used as a bed the night before.

The broken door was left lying as it had fallen not an hour before when Athrun returned to the house.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well? Is he alright?" Lacus' worried face greeted him upon his return.

"He's fine. Practically made a beeline for his bed once we got out there."

"We should let him sleep inside. His injuries are still healing and now that we know he's a sentient being-"

"No. He's still dangerous. All his actions up until this point have been dictated by instinct, not common sense. I don't want one of us to accidentally scare him and wind up losing body parts."

"He wouldn't do that!"

"Not on purpose but on instinct?"

"But leaving him out there feels wrong."

"I know." Athrun collapsed onto a wooden chair, one of five, beside the kitchen table. The room itself was airy and bright with white fixtures and several windows facing the lush woods separated from the house by a nine foot tall youkai proof fence. Surfaces were covered with white marble tiles and furniture was made of chestnut wood; it was soothing to look at and comfortable to relax in but the human ignored its aesthetic beauty.

"However, he seems perfectly comfortable. And honestly, if that cage I found at the crash site was any indication, he probably feels like he's living in the lap of luxury."

Both of them fell silent at that. How badly must he have been treated to consider a cement floor favorable? What was he and what had happened to him?

The same thoughts ran through their heads but neither voiced them.

"I can't believe we just found him last night."

Lacus's giggle was strained. "It feels like he's been here since we arrived."

"Yeah…look, I'm sorry our vacation didn't turn out like it was supposed to"

She smiled softly, draping her arms around his neck.

"It's alright. I'm having a wonder time!"

Emerald eyes rolled in amused exasperation.

"Good."

---------------------------------------------------------------

Kira couldn't sleep.

Though he was more comfortable here than he had ever been before, peaceful slumber escaped him.

_Maybe it's because I'm usually knocked out with stun gas? Or because I sleep in different forms? I guess it's also possible I'm just too excited._

Nervous would probably have been a better choice of words but as he was still attempting not to get close to the friendly humans, he refused to say it.

_Did I do the right thing by speaking in front of them? I mean, the humans in the lab would be really excited to find out and if they do…_

He shivered and began to pick nervously at his dirty hair.

_Athrun wouldn't tell them, would he? I'm fairly certain Lacus wouldn't; she'd realize what they are doing and try to put a halt to it but Athrun…I can't tell what he thinks or how he'll react when he finds out what I actually am._

_I don't want to have to hurt him but I will if he tries to attack me first._

Slightly comforted, the young hanyou settled back to the comforting monotony of grooming. With any luck, he'd lull himself to sleep fairly soon.

Besides, why was he worrying about the humans? He was just going to run away when he got better, right?

------------------------------------------

"Well, do you have any news?"

"No sir. There are five cabins out there, only one of which is still occupied."

"The residents?"

"Three and all are fine."

"Who are they?"

"The names they gave were Lacus, Athrun, and Kira."

"Kira. Did you say one was named Kira?"

"Yes sir. The others called him Kira Yamato. Apart from that, we don't know anything."

"Find out. I want full backgrounds on all of them but focus primarily on Yamato."

"Of course sir."

"Dismissed."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TBC?

REVIEW!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This chapter's okay. Not great or terrible; it just _IS._

Bleh.

Nothing much to say; reviews last chapter weren't that good but I'm still grateful to the people who did review.

You guys are a lot more welcoming than the people on gaia.

Hope you guys liked it.

Let me know what you think!

I'm not allowed to respond to reviews inside the chapter anymore; ffnet outlawed it. However, there is a new PM/reply system I can use! Everyone who reviews gets a free summary preview!

But you hafta be signed in when you review, otherwise I can't get back to you.

Seeya!

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	11. Contemplation

**Title: **Experiment**  
Author: **Darkling**  
Rating: **T**  
Fandom: **Gundam Seed**  
Summary: **AU In an attempt to create the perfect bio weapon, scientists twisted the DNA of one young human. The resulting creature, deemed untrainable and vicious, is set to be killed. However, nobody ever considered how HE would feel about it...**  
Date Written: **No idea whatsoever…a long time ago. At the moment, it's 10/15/2010**  
Warnings: **AU, youkai, hanyou…basic scifi/fantasy AU setting**  
Disclaimer:** I do not, in any way shape or form own any of the characters or anything having to do with Gundam Seed.**  
Author's Notes: **

Eheheheh…funny story, actually. About…oh, two years ago (?) I posted status updates on _Nicol's New Fate_ and _Oddity_. I always intended to put a chapter of _Experiment_ up as well but, for some reason, it slid through the cracks.

Anyway, yesterday afternoon I was really sick and couldn't look at the computer screen without seeing stars so I started going through some of my (very) old notebooks. Imagine my surprise when this showed up! Seriously, I read the first page and said "Wait, what? I don't remember this." Two pages later… "Er…did I ever put this online?" After I'd finished reading… "This is actually _complete_. What is it doing here?"

The rest is history.

Now, I should warn you that my writing style has changed since then but this was written at approximately the same time as the other chapters so it's at around the same level (but hopefully a bit better spell checked). However, it is not where my other, more current stories are; if you look through, there is most likely a distinct style change (or so I've been told).

I actually debated whether to put it up or not once I realized how long it had been and what the chapter was. However, I figured it couldn't hurt anything and I **am **still getting sporadic comments so those of you still watching/ new to watching might enjoy the gesture.

So…! Here's your first update in …holy shit, four years. Please don't kill me.

* * *

_Chapter 11: Contemplation_

"Do we really need to know what he is?"

"Huh?" Athrun jerked his gaze up to meet Lacus'.

"I mean, we know he's sentient and he needs our help, isn't that enough?"

"Unfortunately, no." the young man allowed his head to thud back onto the kitchen table. The two of them had been discussing their 'guest' for over three hours and had yet to get past 'he's not human', 'he wasn't treated well before we found him', and 'what do we do with him now?'

"Why not?" Lacus was sitting on the kitchen counter top a few feet away, just as tired of the conversation as her boyfriend but willing to stick to it in order to help her charge.

"Because," Athrun didn't lift his head; he'd already reiterated the line about five hundred times, who cared if this time it was muffled? "He doesn't _act _sentient. He can talk and understand, yeah, but we don't know how much. Plus, there's the whole matter of nearly killing both of us…"

"He didn't mean to!" the response was uncharacteristically lackluster (for Lacus). She'd repeated her side of the argument just as many times as he had.

"Maybe not." Athrun yawned. "But we don't know for certain. And there's still the matter that it happened in the first place_. _I'd almost rather he did it on purpose and be contrite; then we'd at least know what to expect."

Lacus blinked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?" _He didn't say that last time._

"Well, if he meant it that means he thought about it and could control it. If he didn't then it was a natural reaction, an instinct that may react at any time, without warning. I don't know about you but I do not want a rampaging grizzly near me ever again."

"We're not even sure he was the grizzly! In fact, you said it was impossible!"

"I did? When?" Athrun blinked owlishly, attempting to remember.

"While we were at the crash site. We'd just found Mr. Kira and you were looking at his ears."

"I…" after a moment, he remembered the comment she was referring to. "…Oh, yeah."

Athrun frowned slightly at the memory. He'd been reacting to the moment when he'd said that and at the time it seemed perfectly rational. It still did but there was something…some piece of information he could feel right on the tip of his tongue, waiting to be said. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to dredge it out of his memory.

Noticing his thoughtful expression, Lacus perked up in expectation.

"Is it nonsense?"

"Hm?" he wasn't paying attention.

"Kira being a human youkai; is it nonsense? You've got that look on your face that says you remembered something important."

With a slight smile, Athrun shook his head.

"I haven't. I mean, I know there's something off about this situation, and that I should know what's going on, but I can't quite remember why. It's right there, I can feel it, but…" his brow furrowed, face concentrating hard for a moment as Lacus watched with fascination. After several seconds, he sighed and relaxed, leaning back in his chair with an air of disappointment.

"All I know is that it has something to do with shape-shifting and the time I spent working in that youkai lab I told you about. More information will need to wait until we get back and I can check my old lab notes."

Lacus shifted off her perch to join him at the table. Meeting his eyes, she smiled. "That's okay. I never thought we'd actually miss school work!"

The dark haired young man laughed. "Yeah, because we really expected something like this to happen."

"What's going to happen to him when we go back?"

"What do you mean?" he knew exactly what she meant but dreaded giving his opinion. Maybe she meant something else?

She gave him a vaguely annoyed, condescending smile that said she knew exactly what he was doing but would humor him anyway. Besides, it wasn't like she didn't understand how he felt; that's why she had asked the question in the first place.

"I mean, what will happen to Kira when we return to the city? If he came from the crash, he's hardly a wild animal. And with injuries like those…injuries with effects we don't really know because of the way his body is acting…"

"I know. Not to mention what might happen to him if whoever he was with before finds him again."

She smiled at him softly, charmed by the caring side he rarely allowed to show. He was so focused that he didn't even notice.

"IF he came from the crash and was the original occupant of the cage… I'm not saying he was, just throwing an idea out."

A restrained giggle was his only answer.

With an annoyed huff, a weak mask for his embarrassment, he crossed his arms and sat back in his chair.

_Why did I say that? I don't believe he's human and he's definitely dangerous so why shouldn't he be caged? Hell, he's caged right now under my request! _

A sliver of discomfort worked its way into his chest.

_Maybe that's why; he responded so easily to being contained. The youkai I worked with before were always vicious, constantly attacking their cages. But Kira…he just walked in. It somehow makes him more human. But who would put such a human creature in a cage long enough for him to acclimate? _

A new, even more horrifying thought struck. _Was he raised in a cage? Maybe he's some scientist's escaped experiment…but if he is, what IS he? Or…what was he originally? What if he WAS human?_

And the logical conclusion to that thought: _What if he was human once, but isn't anymore?_

_What have we become involved in?_

The puzzle pieces darted around his head, becoming more jumbled as he tried to sort them out. He had a sneaking suspicion that everything would fall into place if only he could remember what he'd learned at the lab…

* * *

Lacus' thoughts were also centered on their…guest? Pet? Captive? Tenant? Ward?

_I hope he's alright out there. I know Athrun means well and Kira didn't protest to being locked away but his injuries are still healing. Has he had injuries like that before? Does he know how fast he's going to heal? What will he be like once he's fully recovered? What will we do with him then? Athrun will probably want to set him free in the forest but is that really the right thing to do? Ranger Elfman's probably looking for him still and even if he can turn into a grizzly, there have to be other animals strong enough to take him on, especially if he was raised in captivity. Does he even know how to fend for himself in the wild? And what if we need to leave before he's well enough to survive on his own?_

As Lacus bit her lip in indecision and tried to resolve her questions, she also wrestled with another issue. So far, Kira's physical appearance told her he was human while his actions said he was an animal. Despite the fact that she believed he was intelligent, how should he be treated? Should they allow him to leave if he wanted to even if he might be captured, or worse, accidentally attack someone in fear like he had when they'd met?

_It will depend on how he acts in the future. _She decided. _If he comes back with us, for any reason _(something she was secretly hoping would happen; if only to help him become more human), _he won't be turned away. There's' plenty of room in the car and Athrun…_

She ground to a halt.

"Athrun, what ever happened to your car?"

"Huh?" he jerked out of his thoughts with a start, blinking at her in surprise. "What did you say?"

"What happened to your car? Ranger Elfman mentioned it earlier but never said what they did with it."

"My-." Athrun's eyes widened. He'd forgotten all about it. "Shit! It must still be out on the trail!"

"Are you sure the Ranger wouldn't have taken it?" there wasn't anything overly important inside but the thought still made her drum her fingers anxiously.

Athrun stood up and began to pace. "No but I'm pretty sure that would be grounds for legal action on our part and if he really is after Kira, he won't want to raise suspicions. If he's not, I doubt he'd care enough to drag a tow truck this far into the forest to get it out. I just hope those 'experts' Elfmnan mentioned didn't do anything irreparable to it."

Confused, Lacus watched Athrun continue his pacing.

"Shouldn't that make you happy?"

"That they might have done something to it?"

She giggled. "No, silly! That they didn't take it away."

"Well, yes, and it does, but…" he trailed off, giving up pacing.

Lacus watched him in confusion for a moment before prompting him to continue. "But?"

"If it's still out there, I need to go get it."

"I understand."

When he didn't respond, she furrowed her brow slightly. "Would you like me to come with you? Do you need help?"

"What? No! No, that's not what I meant. It's dangerous out there but… I don't feel comfortable leaving Kira here by himself or with you. We don't know him well enough to know what he'd do."

His girlfriend nodded slowly. "I believe Mr. Kira is trustworthy but he might have a problem while you're gone, one I might not be able to handle."

Letting out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, Athrun shrugged. "Sure. Any ideas on what to do?"

The silence lasted long enough for him to think she wasn't going to answer but then…

"We should ask Mr. Kira!"

"…what?"

"Well, it's about him, isn't it?"

"…I guess…"

* * *

The sounds of a lock clicking open nearby aroused Kira form his peaceful sleep. In the lab, such a sound would have been enough to drag him hissing and snarling to all fours in seconds but here…he cocked his fox ears but didn't move. Even his eyes stayed closed.

"Well?" the male's voice spoke in a low tone, not quite a whisper but close.

"Shhh! He's sleeping." Responded the female softly.

"Guess we can't ask him now then."

"No, we'll need to wait until later."

_Ask me what? _Though interested in their words, the hanyou wasn't curious enough to pull out of his comfortable cocoon.

The male's footsteps walked away, paused, and then walked back.

"Lacus? Come on; let's leave him to finish his nap."

"I know, it's just…." She sounded torn, uncertain.

"Hm?"

"He looks so human…. why would someone want to hurt him?"

"We don't know if whoever he was with hurt him or not."

"But they kept him in a cage. Why would they keep a human being in a cage?"

"He isn't human, Lacus."

"You don't know that."

A tense silence fell for a few moments, leaving Kira time to process what he'd heard. Why was it so strange for him to be confined? He was a dangerous animal, after all.

"Lacus…we're keeping him caged too." The comment was spoken reluctantly but with an air of necessity.

"We what?" she sounded startled and unhappy. Had she not considered the implications before?

The male sighed and moved back inside, stopping several feet away.

"Come on, let's leave him alone."

This time she followed him, as lost in thought as Kira who, after committing what he'd heard to memory, fell back asleep.

* * *

"What have you found?"

"We have the public profiles on Athrun Zala and Lacus Clyne as well as those of their immediate family members."

"And Kira Yamato?"

"There…we couldn't find any record of a 'Kira Yamato' in the public database."

"I see." Gloved fingers steeped as their owner considered his options. "Check the private databases and broaden the search to include anyone named Kira in the correct age range."

"Yes, sir."

"Speak with Mr. Elfman for the age range as well as physical properties."

The young man nodded but before he could leave, his superior hailed him back.

"Oh, and one more thing. Make sure to pay close attention to birth records. I want to know who his parents are and where he came from."

"Yes, sir. Sir?"

"Yes?"

"Did this Kira Yamato do something significant? Why are we looking into him?"

"That is not your concern."

"Yes, sir." The young man swallowed at the icy tone as he stammered out his reply and turned back to continue his work.

His superior watched him go expressionlessly, white mask hiding his eyes and emotions from the world.

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TBC…

Review!

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Well, bit of a false start there but the plot is slowly marching along.

Oh yeah…I wish this chapter could have been a huge plot revelation or exciting fight or something instead of boring ol' plot, but it really was necessary. The car needs to come back XD. And it's easier for Athrun and Lacus to talk about Kira (and in doing so, evolve their opinions of him) when he's not in the room.

I totally understand if no one is watching this story anymore but for anyone that is…I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think! Contrary to popular opinion, I AM still alive.

Somehow, I think sending out a free preview/summary doesn't really apply in this case, since it's been so long and most previous subscribers have stopped following. However, if you are interested in asking questions or getting responses to your comments, let me know. I don't have all that much information on when my stories will update, but I'm willing to talk about how they're going and what I have planned (minus spoilers, of course). I'll respond to anyone who reviews this week (so long as you're signed in). After that, I'll try but my responses will be much more delayed.

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Thanks for reviewing last time:

**Miss Peeps**

**WillTheWatcher**

**Darkmoon Fleur**

**Ultimate**

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**X-19A Infinite Justice**

**Kira'sNewfoundAngel**

**NerfHerder101**

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**Nepharus**

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**Shadowolf93**


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